Watchful Big Brother Winchester
by warr2654
Summary: Sequel to Big Brother Winchester. May contain spoilers! AU Sam, Dean, and their little sister Ashley settle down. But how long will they stay until danger finds them?
1. Chapter 1: Darkness Falls

_**Darkness Falls Across the Land**_

**Disclaimer: I do not own Supernatural..unfortunately. **

**AN: And here we start our adventure one more time! Tell me what ya'll think and what you may want to read about, I am open to suggestions. Enjoy and review! **

Ashley had received a call from a family who once had a poltergeist in their house, and they had decided they could no longer stay in that house so they offered it to the Winchesters. Ashley was surprised that she had found a house so quickly and she instantly accepted. The house was a 2 story, 3 bedroom and 3 and a half bathroom piece of heaven. Sam got his own room, while Ashley and Dean shared an area; the remaining room was a spare for whenever Dean or Ashley had company, which was starting to become a normal occurrence. Ashley had had met some guy at a night club and was seeing him on a regular basis. Dean finally was alright with a guy she was seeing, even though this was only her second boyfriend.

Before she met Jeff, the Winchesters were on a couple hunts that got kind of bloody. Sam got his arm shot during a werewolf hunt, but Ashley was able to clean the wound and get him off the operating table. Dean had also got slashed up during that hunt, and Ashley honestly had a hard time stitching him up. Dean was finally on the mend when she met Jeff. Ashley brought him over to meet her family, while she was cooking up dinner laughs were echoing out of the living room from the 3 boys. Ashley was finally happy and all was perfect in her researching/nursing life. That was until Jeff turned out to be a demon.

* * *

"Ash" Sam said walking into the shared room. She was sitting on the sill of the bay window that faced west, so the occupant could always see the Texas sunset.

"Yeah?" she said looking up at Sam.

"You doing alright consi-"

"Sam, I'm fine. Jeff was nice but it wasn't like I was ready to marry the dude!"

"Yeah, but well you did like him" Sam pointed out.

Ashley couldn't believe Sam thought she was torn up about Jeff being a demon, this was her life and she could not spend it sitting around sewing up her bothers. She stood up from her perch and walked right up to Sam "just let me dress your shoulder one more time, and then we can press resume on this chick-flick yeah?"

"Ha, yeah sure thing Little One" Sam chuckled as he sat down on the bed so Ashley could reach his shoulder. Her hands were steady as she pulled the pink sticky gauze from his left shoulder.

"So, did my snoring suddenly keep you up at nights?" Sam asked through gritted teeth,

"No, Dean's worse but he started to have similar dreams" she said finishing up Sam's massive shoulder "so we're helping each other out."

"Huh, you still have them, a year later?"

"Yes sir."

"Sucks."

"Yeah, oh well. Hey, Dean still downstairs?"

"Passed out on the sofa."

"Awesome, those stitches are going to be gross from seepage" Ashley complained.

"You're sharing the bed with that mess."

"Shut up Sammy" she said slapping the bandage on his shoulder with more force than necessary.

* * *

Ashley had been in bed for hours, but hadn't fallen asleep yet. Her mind kept spinning around the fact that only a couple dates later, Jeff was ready to kill her. "How could I not see that?" Ashley whispered as she rolled over onto her side and placed her head on her memory foam pillow, where she finally felt sleep fall across her eyelids. Ashley's dreams were pleasant ones of a mother pushing her child on a swing set, but then a black cloud settled over the playground- she was having one hell of a bad dream and couldn't wake herself no matter how hard she tried! She scratched, clawed, kicked, and nothing happened. "Dean!" she screamed, hoping he would save her, but nothing happened, the cloud came down and swallowed her up into total darkness.


	2. Chapter 2: Eeyore

_**Eeyore**_

Dean felt like crap, this was his entire fault since he let Ashley roll away from him and for some reason she wouldn't wake up. Ashley was thrashing around in the bed for a couple minutes, and then she suddenly stopped as if someone had held her down. That darkness she was talking about must have finally swallowed her.

"How she doing?" Sam said walking in the spare room where they had moved Ashley.

"Nothing's changed" Dean said after clearing his throat.

"Well I got some dream root, but only enough for one dose."

Dean knew it was suicide to go into another's head alone, but leaving Ashley the way she was was out of the question.

"Hand it over" Dean said standing up and holding out his hand for the Mason jar filled with the yellow-ish fluid.

"Dean" Sam warned before is brother snatched the Mason jar from his large brother.

"I let this happen to her!" Dean barked. It was clear Sam would be on body watch while Dean dove into their baby sister's subconscious. Pulling only a few hairs from his sister's head, Dean sat down on the edge of the arm chair and drank the serving of the gross tea.

* * *

All Dean saw was darkness and wrecked cars, including the Impala. "Ash" he called out as he stepped onto the dirt road under the rusty metal sign telling him he was at Bobby's.

"Ash, where the hell-."

"Dean?" she sat up from the velvet couch, her leg was wrapped in white plaster and elevated "What are you-wait, you're okay? Where's Sam and Dad?" That's when Dean understood where he was in Ashley's dreams- the accident that landed him in a coma. "Ash, I'm in your head. You didn't wake up yesterday, so come on let's get goin'."

"How Dean?"

"Figure out how to fuck up that black cloud hanging over head, Eeyore."

"Fine, I'm kinda held up here" she said gesturing to her broken leg.

"That's not real, only in your head Ash" he pleaded with his sister.

"Right" she said, standing up and watched as the plaster vanished into dust "now, do you know what that is?" she said gesturing up to the dark cloud over head.

"No clue, do you?" Dean asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yeah, it's my memories" she said looking down at the floor like an embarrassed child.

"Alright, so we face them and shoo the cloud away" Dean stepping up closer to his younger sister.

"Well, this is the first one."

Dean looked around and saw she was alone, Sam hadn't even come back to check on her, good thing it was her left leg so she could still be self-sufficient. "Hey at least you can still, uh drive" Dean said looking on the bright side, hoping that would clear this up for her.

"That's you Dean, not me! I just wanted my family back, hunting and happy." Dean understood the four Winchesters were fighting together again, but then a damn demon crashed their life and turned it to hell.

"So what, you wanted me to die?"

"No, I just- this is when everything changed and you got into your head you had to die for us!"

Dean was shocked, how could he not have seen that coming! This is when Ashley was shoved aside and put on the back burner. "Ash, I would have done it for you too, you know that." Dean said passing a hand though his short hair, and that's when a small bit of light shown through that dark cloud. Ashley's face lit up along with the room, how did she not know that?

* * *

Dean blinked back the tears and saw Ashley standing up in a towel in the bathroom with a razor in her hands "Ash, come on" Dean said walking straight towards his sister.

"No Dean, you left me as soon as Sammy died, then he goes and leaves once you jumped in!"

"So no need to leave us" Dean said putting his hand on top of hers "we'd go at each other's throats without you, you're our level-headed rock Ash!" The bathroom instantly lit up and disappeared from under Dean's feet, he was now standing in his garage back as Lisa and Ben's. "The hell Ash?" he yelled walking back towards his pickup truck parked in the driveway when he saw an old '69 Mustang parked down the street. Dean started right to it, and wasn't surprised when the door opened and his sister stepped out, actually looking like a woman. for once in her life. She was dressed in a pair of tight black jeans that showed off her hips and a tan breezy top that was see through around her stomach and back and accentuated her large chest she usually shoved into a sports bra.

"Heh, tap down into your feminine roots there Killer?"

"I was thinking about stopping by, but thought you'd just kick me out" she said looking down at her nude heels that gave her an extra 5 inches in height. The only time she wore heels anymore was when she was either picking up a guy at some bar or pretending to look like a stuck-up fed.

"Lisa and Ben both want to meet you ya' know. Ever since Sam and I helped her out with the Changeling and you stayed home because you were pissed at Sam and I" Dean said admiring how much she looked like Mom standing in front of him.

"Really?"

"Yeah, come on Killer, it's almost dinner time" Dean said ushering her inside and watching how she expertly walked up the drive way in her high heels; he never knew she had the poise to walk in those things that well, he never actually took the time to look at his sister like he did now. The cloud had cleared and before the door closed, Dean felt himself wake up.

* * *

"Dean, Ash" Sam said happy to see both his siblings awake.

"Sammy" Ashley said sitting up in the bed.

"Hey Little One" he said standing up to give her a hug "what happened in there?"

"Dean'll tell you later, I just need to get some air" she said standing up with Sam's help. Sam waited until Ashley was long gone before he turned to Dean with his signature _the hell_ face.

"We really screwed up Sammy" Dean said putting his pounding head into his sweaty hands.

"Well guess we seriously need to fix things" he said walking out to the living room.

**AN: Hope you all enjoyed, tell me what you think!**


	3. Chapter 3: Punching Bag

_**Punching Bag**_

"Seriously Ash, would you just stop getting up?" Dean said getting annoyed with his sister. She needed rest, but she couldn't sit still, no matter how hard she tried.

"Dean, shut it, I'm fine" Ashley protested as she got up from the couch she was sharing with a dozing Sam. She was just stuck in an endless dream loop and now stuck curled up on the other end of the couch in between Sam's outstretched legs. Dean seemed to think Ashley had been thrown through a brick wall and should not move no matter what happened, and that is what was driving Ashley up the wall. She just needed to get up and stretch her cramped legs, but with every move Ashley could feel Dean's eyes follow her. "Fine! I'll sit back down" Ashley mocked her brother as she climbed back on the couch with Sam and stretched her cramped legs on top of his long ones. The sudden addition of weight on Sam's legs had woken him from his nap and led him to rub his sister's bare legs. Sam looked up at her and smiled, it was clear he was happy to have Ashley back but was itching to tell her something.

Dean's cell phone let out a shrill from upstairs, so he headed up towards the sound after giving Ashley the telltale sign that he was watching her. "Hey Ash, look" Sam started "I'm sorry if I uh, left you alone after…you know." Sam was trying hard to make up for the wrongs he did, but nothing was coming out the way he wanted it to.

"Sammy forget it" Ashley said trying to hold back the tears, but it wasn't working. Sam wasn't expecting tears, but he quickly dropped her left leg and sat up to hold his sister.

"Ash, I'm sorry. I'll never leave again, I swear."

"Sammy I didn't mean to let you see that that night" she sobbed into his shirt, the smell of sleep on him was calming to her for some reason.

* * *

Dean came back down stairs to see Ashley asleep with her head on Sam's chest while he sat on the couch watching some TV. "Well aren't you a good Papa" Dean said sarcastically.

"What is it Dean? You were up there for hours" Sam whispered so as not to wake up his sister.

"It was Bobby" Dean said sitting on the couch's arm next to Sam "he uh, got a case for us, but what about Ash?"

"What about her?"

"She good to go?"

"You should ask her directly" Ashley mumbled into Sam's now damp shirt.

"You were awake?" Dean said confused that he couldn't tell.

"Yeah" she said shuffling into a more comfortable position on the couch "so, I'll go train with one of you jerks in the morning to prove my competence."

"Alright Killer" Dean said heading up stairs again.

Ashley allowed herself to roll off the couch and fall softly to the floor. She couldn't stop thinking about how she got stuck in dream land, but was interrupted by Sam patting her head in an effort to get her attention.

"Yeah?" she said finally coming back to the present.

"You have to trust us, we have your back" Sam said standing up to go upstairs as the show he was watching was finally over.

"Where are you going?"

"Bobby's got a case, I'm going to do some research."

"Mind if I give you a hand?" Ashley asked being as she didn't want to be alone right now.

"Since when do you want to help with research?"

"When haven't I wanted to help out? I like reading you know" she defended herself.

"Alright" Sam said holding out a hand to help his sister up.

* * *

Ashley was laying on Sam's bed with old lore books around her, but she wasn't actually paying attention to the words she was reading. Her mind kept going back to when Dean showed up in the memory of when she sliced open her leg. At that moment is when Ashley had felt strongest, but the memory replayed in her dream made her feel weak and broken. Dean also doubting her ability to hunt made her feels even more useless, more so the when she was pregnant and she couldn't let Dean do that.

Ashley was furious and couldn't stay on that bed any longer, she jumped up and let anger propel her into the room Dean was occupying.

"You Son of a Bitch!" Ashley yelled as she flung the door open.

"That's your mother too, you know" Dean said shooting up from the bed.

"You ass! You're always making me feel like a dumbass" she said walking right up to her oldest brother and slapping him right across his face. Ashley just stood there staring at the look of anger spreading across his face. Dean would never hit her out of anger like he did Sam, but he would yell in her face until he lost his voice. This time Dean was shocked into silence, and that might have scared Ashley even more. "Going to just stand there?" she spat at Dean. "You piece of shit, say something" she said punching dean in the gut.

"What do you want me to say?" Dean said still doubled over and breathing heavy from getting the wind knocked out of him.

"What the hell is your problem with me Dean?" she spat at her brother and getting inches away from his face.

"You're my baby sister! That's my problem with you! You can't stay out of trouble dammit!"

"Too fucking bad" Ashley said pulling back to slap Dean again, but he caught her hand this time.

"Listen to me, I am your brother not a damn punching bag."

"Well stop acting like my damn father" she pulled her hand away from Dean's grip and stormed out of their shared room.

**AN: Hope you enjoyed! Tell me what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4: Unknown Vistor

_**An Unknown**_** Vistor**

**AN: Sorry it is another short one, this college thing is starting to kick my butt. I will have some longer ones written in a couple weeks, but in the mean time instead of leaving all my readers story-less, this is what I will be doing! Hold on to your seats, this ride may start to get a bit bumpy! Enjoy and tell me what you think! **

Sam had heard the yelling coming from his sibling's room, but was honestly surprised when the door to the spare room slammed shut down the hall. Ashley did have every right to be mad, Dean was acting like a father more than a brother. Sam got up from the lore books surrounding him and headed towards Dean's room.

"What did you do to get slapped?" Sam said leaning against the door jam.

"Go ask her, I'm going out" Dean said storming past his brother with his leather jacket in hand.

Sam took Dean's advice and headed over to the spare room at the end of the hall. He knew as soon as he opens that door Ashley will throw something at his head, so he proceeded on high alert. Sam was right and as soon as he opened the door, an alarm clock came flying towards his head. "Hey" Sam said standing back up and staring towards the bed she was perched on "what'd Dean do to you?"

Ashley looked up at him with pain in her eyes. Whenever she cried her eyes turned a bright green, Sam was not surprised when they flashed as green as a healthy lawn. "He's being a drill sergeant, like he has been ever since Dad told him to watch out for us, and I am so sick of it" she choked out allowing the sobs to finally escape her throat.

"Well, you pissed Dean off enough to go out for the night" Sam said sitting next to her "so you got through to him" he said with a chuckle.

"Good."

* * *

Dean finally came in around 3 am and found Ashley asleep on the couch. Dean knew she was right in saying he was acting more like a father and he felt bad. Dean sat down on the couch by her feet and gently nudged her awake.

"De" she said lowering the knife she had tucked under her pillow. Ashley was still trying to rub the sleep out of her half shut eyes when she felt the couch sag under Dean's added weight.

"Hey Killer" he said with sadness coming from each and every word.

"What's up?" Ashley asked confused as to why her brother was sitting on the couch with her.

"Uh, I guess I should, um… I am-"

"I get it" Ashley said chuckling at Dean's inability to get an apology out of his mouth. She began to sit up when Dean had also stood up from the couch to give her a hand up.

"De, you're scaring me" she said accepting his hand up.

"Don't mean to, I just want to show you that you are my sister and I'm not Dad."

"Well stow the favors and emotions, you're not very good at them bud" Ashley said as she gave her brother a hug.

"As you wish" Dean said pulling away from the hug "I'm going up to bed, Sammy still up?"

"I think so, when I came down here he still had a bunch of un-opened books."

Dean nodded and headed up stairs slowly, but his head was still swimming with thoughts about how he could have possibly allowed himself to hurt Ashley this way. As he stepped into Sam's room Dean saw Sam drooling all over his notebook and small snores escaping his mouth. "Hey" Dean said kicking the chair Sam was sitting in "figure out what this thing is?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah its vampires" Sam said closing the books around him.

"Alright, well we will head to Carencro in the morning" Dean said as he walked back to his own room. Dean didn't like fighting with his siblings, but he never allowed himself to dwell on it. Ashley could hear Dean moving about in their room and could tell he was torn up and upset simply by how much he was slamming things around and sighing. Ashley remained silent as Dean continued to get his emotions out in his own way, but she never expected him to react as he did when he climbed into bed to find someone was already there


	5. Chapter 5: Speak

_**Speak**_

**AN: Sorry once again for the length, papers are going to be the death of me! Stay with me though, there are some things a coming you don't want to miss! Enjoy and tell me what you think!**

Ashley had a bump the size of an orange on her head from where Dean wacked her with the butt of his 1911 stowed under his pillow. Dean was shocked by her presence and it was dark, so Ashley could only accept the hit she got. Dean was still sorry for hitting her, but secretly he was happy to have her back in their shared King size bed. Ashley's sleep was uneventful, but Dean was moving around next to her keeping her from falling into a deep sleep. When the thrashing became too much for her to handle, Ashley woke her big brother up.

"Wha?" Dean mumbled out of his sleepy fog.

"What's going on in there De?" Ashley asked propping herself up on her elbow.

"Nothing" Dean said trying to roll over and avoid her question.

"No, not nothing, answer me. You've seen my thoughts first hand" Ashley reasoned with Dean while using her strength to keep him from putting his back to her.

"It's nothing Ashley, drop it" Dean growled as he was rolled back on his back.

"No, it's not so speak."

Dean had always dreaded when this conversation would come up, but he expected it would be soon. The thought of bearing his soul to anyone with ears capable of listening caused Dean's heart rate to speed up and his whole body to sweat. If he did have to pick someone to bear his soul to like a little girl however, it would be his sister.

"What if mom never died in that nursery" Dean said sitting up against the head board.

"But that's a good thought" Ashley said looking up to Dean.

"Yeah, for you. For me it just hurts cuz I know it'll never happen."

Dean sounded like a little kid, but Ashley knew he wasn't telling the whole story yet. "What else is it?" Ashley kept pushing.

"Sammy being driven by good ol' Lucy" Dean finally choked out and stunned Ashley into silence. Dean understood what he said had hurt Ashley, so he just slid back down on his back and opened an arm up so Ashley could slide in next to him, but she was still propped up next to him.

"Dean, I'm scared" she finally choked out.

"What, why?"

"Both of you have gone to Hell, one can only figure sometime soon it'll be my turn."

"Not on my watch, Baby Girl" Dean said pulling his sister down close to him, hating the fact that he knew she was right.

* * *

Dean and Ashley took point on this hunt simply because they both had enough anger to get out on these poor Sons of Bitches, but Sam had a bad feeling about this hunt and could feel someone was going to get hurt. Ashley was in one corner fighting off two vampire chicks while Dean sliced his way right through the room to save the girl.

"Typical" Sam chuckled to himself, but was interrupted by Ashley's screams of pain. Sam spun around to see 4 vampires now ganged up on Ashley and munching on her like a snickers bar. Sam rushed over to help his sister while Dean ushered the damsel in distress out the barn's door. Sam was able to chop off 3 of the 4 vampire's heads while Ashley sliced through the last one, but that is when Sam noticed the crescent shaped holes all over her shirt.

"Ash! No hey, stay with me" Sam said scooping her up as she started to weave on her feet.

"Sammy, I'm okay" she said assuring her brother as she was carried towards the car. "I didn't drink any" she said before passing out.


	6. Chapter 6: Bitten

_**Bitten**_

**AN: Who would have thought my first fanfiction would have lead to another story and chapters galre! Ya'll are just lucky I guess... :P Enjoy and tell me what you think!**

Ashley wasn't sure how long she had been out, but as she awoke she soon discovered she had been stripped to her undies and only one brother was with her in the musty motel room. The bathroom door was left open, but the shower was occupied. Ashley attempted to sit up, but instantly felt her skin scream at the movement. She felt around and felt her body covered in many gauze patches.

"Hey" Ashley called out from the main sitting room to alert which ever brother was here that she was awake.

"Ash, you okay?" Dean called from the bathroom as he shut off the lukewarm water.

"Yeah" she cleared her throat "what um- what happened?"

Dean finally emerged from the bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist. His scarred arms and chest always surprised her, but there were no new marks littering his body, so Ashley allowed her anxiety to slowly disappear.

"Nothing really. You got bit a couple times so you passed out from blood loss" Dean shrugged as if it was no big deal.

"Oh, okay" she said pulling the sheet up as much as she could to hide her exposed chest. Dean laughed at her sudden show of self-consciousness and started back towards the steamed bathroom.

"That was a dumb move" Ashley mumbled to herself as she lowered the threadbare sheet from her bare chest. "Hey Dean" Ashley called out, "where is Sam?"

"He's wrapping up some loose ends" Dean said poking his head out the bathroom door "how's your back?"

"Uh fine, just the skin feels real tight."

"Yeah, that's where your worst bites are" he said looking at Ashley with many questions creasing his face.

"Gotcha" Ashley said fighting through the pain so she could sit up with her legs dangling off the side of the bed. Ashley noticed Dean's eyes linger on the puckered scar located on her left thigh. "Dean you can't blame yourself for this" she motioned towards the long jagged self-inflicted scar.

"Yeah I know, but it's my job to protect you Kiddo."

"And you know that's a bunch of crap" Ashley spat at her brother; she still didn't understand why Dean was following this order of John's when it was clear both herself and Sam were grown-ass adults.

"Too bad" Dean playfully threw back at his sister. "So since you're vertical again, wanna go get a couple beers?"

"Only if you spill more of your deep dark secrets tonight" Ashley joked as she stood up to start looking for some clean clothes.

* * *

Dean missed hanging with his little sister like they used to when Sam was in college. After a hunt they would hit up a local dive and knock back either a couple shots or a few cold ones, Ashley always looked younger than she really was, so the bartender would always check her ID and that little act would boost her self-confidence.

Ashley was happiest in bars and tonight was no different. She had even dragged Dean out on the dance floor and despite his clumsy moves; she demanded one dance with her brother. But now that the song was over Dean knew she expected him to open up wide.

"Well what do you want to know?" Dean asked his little sister, who was perched on a stool next to him.

"I want to know what it was like being out" she implied turning to face Dean.

"It was nice" was all Dean could come up with, but he knew that wouldn't appease Ashley. "Ben was almost like my son when Sam came back to get me" Dean said taking a swig from the beer in front of him.

"Then why did you leave them?"

"Cuz you kids needed me" Dean said with a smirk.

"I wish you would just drop the protective big brother act" Ashley said shaking her head "we aren't kids anymore Dean, you've done your job."

Dean knew his sister was more than capable of taking care of herself, but sometimes he'd look at her and still see that big eyed little girl clinging to his side whenever John would leave her alone for a hunt. "Too bad" he said finishing his beer and standing to leave.

* * *

"Sam hasn't been back and he hasn't called, should we go look for him?" Ashley asked as she paced back and forth in the small motel room.

"His cell phone GPS says he's a block away, down Killer" Dean shrugged as he flopped down on the bed and flipped on the small box television. Ashley allowed a growl to escape her throat as she sat down on the foot of the bed waiting for Sam to come through that door.

It felt like hours had gone by when he finally did, and it took all Ashley's strength to allow Dean to question Jumbo Winchester here. "Where you been dude?" Dean asked not even peeling his eyes from the TV.

"Uh, you know loose ends" Sam said taking off his jacket.

"Ah, Sammy got a girl" Ashley teased once her frustration disappeared. She could read Sam's face like an open book, and it was written right across his forehead under his tasseled brown hair.

"Shut it Ashley" Sam squeaked out as he playfully pushed his sister out of his way so he could shower off the smell of sex on his body.

**AN: Sorry its short, new longer chapters will be coming soon I get all my school work under control! **


	7. Chapter 7: Runaway

_**Runaway**_

Sam's head kept replaying last night's events any time he closed his eyes. Sam promised himself he would never love another woman like Jess, but had allowed himself a one night stand every once in a while. Were these nights a mistake though? Sam's thoughts were interrupted by Dean tossing the car keys into his lap.

"Me?" Sam asked shocked he was given the change to drive Dean's pride and joy. Dean was already walking around to the passenger side of the car "yeah, the little growth in back didn't sleep much last night and she finally passed out" Dean said nodding to their little sister in the back seat.

"Right" Sam said standing up, allowing his height to hunch forward ever so slightly towards Dean, craving some comforting touch from his brother. Dean recognized this move, Sam only did this as a kid when he heeded his older brother and it always tugged at his last few hear strings. "You mind?" Dean asked about driving.

"No, happy to do it" Sam said starting to walk around the car, but that's when he felt Dean clasp his hand on his right shoulder. Sam's heart instantly felt a tad bit lighter, but should he seek Dean's advice on this subject or wait until Ashley was up? After a quick pro and con list in his head, Sam decided to ask Dean.

"Hey Dean?" Sam choked out.

"Yeah?"

"Uh, I got a question I need advice on."

"Alright" Dean groaned, dreading the emotional road they were about to go down, but Sammy clearly was in anguish so those thoughts were quickly stowed.

"After Jess died, I swore I'd never love another like her. But am I wrong to well, ya know?"

Of course Sam would think that way, but Dean now understood what Sam felt because he had Lisa now.

"No Sammy, Jess is gone" Dean said as carefully as possible "but she wouldn't want you lounging around backed up."

"Yeah guess you're right. Thanks Dean."

* * *

Dean and Ashley were both asleep as Sam speed east back towards their make shift home base. Dean was right, Jess would want him to be happy even if he felt it wasn't fair.

"Hey wanna break?" Ashley had finally woken up I the back and gently asked Sam so as not to scare him.

"You were asleep for a while, everything alright?"

"I'm good, just had some thinking to do and it kinda took all night" she shrugged as she leaned forward to rest on the Impala's warm leather.

"Gotcha, thanks for offering Ash, but I'm good on driving" Sam said as he kicked both shoes off and nudged them under the seat.

"Well, has that been cloud gone away since Dean pulled you out?"

"Mostly yeah, but now I'm worried he will get trapped in his head" Ashley said looking at her eldest brother, who was leaning against the cool window.

"He's a hard ass Ash, Dean'll kick that cloud before it even settles."

"I hope you're right" Ashley said as Dean's phone let out a shrill.

"Yeah" he answered still half asleep.

* * *

Lisa had called Dean about Ben again, but it pissed Ashley off to see her brother so upset. Ben was acting out in his teenage years and needed a father figure back in his life. Ashley settled back into the corner of the Impala where she once stuffed her Barbie's head when she was a kid.

"Why do you keep jumping whenever she calls?" Ashley said with her arms folded across her chest.

"You wouldn't get it" Dean said, slightly irritated at Ashley's tone.

"Dean" Sam snapped at his brother "you don't know that! You weren't with her for a year, remember?"

Ashley just let her mouth hang open at the venom that was laced in Dean's words. "Pull the car over" Ashley said with a shaky yet stern voice.

"We don't have time for this, Ashley" Dean barked as he continued down the highway.

"Yet we have time to help Lisa out with parenting? Pull the damn car over" Ashley exploded as she opened up the door.

"Whoa, alright" Dean said steering the car into the shoulder. Ashley wasted no time climbing out of the car and taking her bags from the trunk. It wasn't until she started walking away from the car did her brothers get out to talk to her.

"Ash come on, let's talk about this" Dean pleaded as he folded his arms on top of the Impala's hood.

"No Dean, there's nothing to talk about! Go save your precious family, they need you more than you ever needed me" she spat over her shoulder without slowing her pace any. Ashley heard a set of footsteps run up behind her and was relieved to see it was only Sam.

"See you back home Little One?" he asked praying she would say yes. Ashley gave no answer, she only stopped walking to hug Sam goodbye, but as soon as it was over she continued on her merry way.

Watching her walk away made Sam realize just how his family felt when he walked out on them to go to Stanford.

**AN: Oh no! What is Ashley going to do? Keep reading and you'll find out :) Tell me what you think in the mean time!**


	8. Chapter 8:Bar Keep

_****__**6 months later...  
**__**Bar Keep**_

**AN: Enjoy ya'll, tell me what you think!**

"Come on David, last call" Ashley said cleaning up the bar she was now in charge of.

"Yes ma'am" the town's drunk called out from his spot at the end of the maple bar in the dark corner of the room.

Ashley was happy and now a pretty red-headed bartender at some biker's bar. Of course she missed her brothers, but after walking out on them more than 5 months ago, Sam had only called a handful of times. Ashley was pouring drinks to bikers and hunters instead of hunting down the creatures herself. The sound of a glass breaking had interrupted Ashley's train of thought and made the hair on the back of her neck stand up on end.

"Sorry" a man called out from behind the kitchen door.

"It's alright Max, you just scarred the crap out of me" Ashley yelled back to her co-worker as well as lover. "David dear, I gotta close up, let me call you a cab" Ashley sighed to the older man still sipping on his whiskey on the rocks.

"Yeah sure, sorry for sticking around. I'll wait outside."

"It's alright David, it'll be here in 15 minutes to pick you up."

"Thanks Little One" David answered after finishing his drink.

The name had caught Ashley off guard at first, but she quickly pushed away the emotions rising up in her throat.

"Hey Ash, almost done here?" Max grunted out while carrying a couple crates of beer from the back stock room.

"Yeah baby, Ill stock up the fridge and you bring around the car?" she hinted at her laziness and fatigue from standing on her feet for a full 9 hours.

"See you in a sec" Max nodded as he walked out the door, locking it behind him just to make sure his girl stayed safe.

As Ashley bent down to put the beers in the fridge, Ashley heard a familiar rumble of an engine, but she could not pin exactly which car it could come from. It wasn't the same roar that came from her Mustang, but it still sounded like it came from a car she was close to. Ashley threw off her red waist apron and walked over to the window to peek out and see who it could possibly be. Her heart jumped at the sight in front of her and ran out to greet the car pulling up in the dirt parking lot.

* * *

The car's occupants didn't hesitate once their sister started running towards them.

"De! Sammy!" she exclaimed jumping into her largest brother's open arms. "Hey Little One" Sam said spinning his baby sister around before setting her back down on the ground. Dean stepped up towards Ashley, not sure of the reaction he was going to get.

"Dean, how did you-why are you guys here?" she said recovering from her intense excitement.

"We uh, we were passing through and thought we'd stop by."

"Well come on in, why stand out in the wind!"

"Yeah, sure" Sam agreed, following Ashley back into the bar and catching a glimpse of a man peeking through the blinds.

Max was confused as to why Ashley was standing outside with two mysterious men who just pulled up in a damn Chevy Impala. Thank god she was coming back inside because he was starting to feel a little jealous.

"Hey Ash, thought you were locking up" Max said as soon as Ashley stepped through the door with the two large men behind her.

"Max, this is Sam and Dean, my brothers" Ashley admitted once she saw the look on Max's face being as the largest of the men had his arm draped around her shoulders. "Guys, this is Max, my boyfriend."

"Whoa Killer, bar keep and a boyfriend?" Dean asked with a smirk on his stubble ridden face.

"What? Surprised I could survive on my own without you _on my 6_?" Ashley spat back at Dean from under Sam's arm.

"Wanna beer guys?" Max asked trying to diffuse the tension her could see clearly written across Ashley's face.

* * *

Ashley insisted that her brothers stay in her and Max's apartment after their hunt. Max was weary about it, but he knew he shouldn't be feeling this way towards Ashley's family. Dean followed the Mustang back to a nice residential area and knew it was going to be hard on him to convince Ashley to come back on the road with them since she had made herself a new life outside of the one she was raised in.

"Sam" Dean said looking over to the passenger seat "do you think Ashley'll come back with us?"

"She might think twice, but I know she will give in" Sam grunted as he leaned down to lace his boots up before they pulled into the parking lot.


	9. Chapter 9: On the Road Again

_**On the Road Again**_

**AN: Sorry it took me a little longer to update this one, but cool stuff to follow soon! Enjoy and tell me what you think!**

Dean couldn't sleep knowing Ashley was only a couple feet away and probably unprotected in her domesticated state. He heard a rustle in the bedroom and Ashley's familiar light footsteps pad out into the room her brothers were sleeping. Ashley sighed as she sat down on the couch Dean was occupying. She didn't bother to do it gently as she heard only one set of snores coming from the body on the floor, yet she wanted to make sure her suspicions were correct and that Dean also couldn't sleep.

"Dean, you up?" Ashley whispered as she pulled her knees up to bare stomach.

"What's up Killer?" Dean grunted out as low as he could so as not to wake the other sleeping bodies in the apartment.

"Why are you guys _really_ here?"

Dean didn't know how to approach this subject, Sam was supposed to talk to her. Hell, he hadn't said a word to her since she walked down that highway 5 months ago, not even for her birthday and now he was crashing on her couch and expected to tell her to come home. "Um, we came to bring you home."

Ashley was shocked to hear the news, of course she wanted to be with her blood again, but what about Max? She never told him about her life or that she even had a family; how was she supposed to just up and leave him with no reason. "Can we talk this over in the morning?"

"Of course" Dean promised as he sat up to wrap a heavy arm around his sister's cold shoulders.

Dean had always been a comfort for Ashley, so naturally after he wrapped a blanket around her shivering form and an arm around her shoulders, her mind quieted and allowed her to fall into a restful sleep.

* * *

Sam woke up as the light assaulted his face. He moaned at the sudden burst of light and rolled over onto his stomach, but his back was in too much of an uproar and cracked loudly at the movement. Sam lifted his head to look over at where his brother was supposed to be sleeping, but instead of just one sibling, Sam saw 2 cuddled under a blanket and completely passed out. Sam shook his head in amusement when out of the corner of his eye he saw Max staring at the same scene.

"Max" Sam tried to whisper out but his sleep voice made it sound like a witch's crackle.

"Yeah?"

"Wanna step outside for a sec?"

Max nodded and followed Sam out into the hall, but his eyes lingered on the strange tattoo Sam had on his chest, it was actually the same exact tattoo that Ashley had over her left boob. "What's up with the ink? Ash has the same one on her left ti-uh I mean on her chest" Max stuttered out when he realized what he was saying to a man the size of a door about his sister.

"What has Ash told you about her past?" Sam jeered at Max.

"Honestly, nothing. I didn't know you guys even existed, yet you 3 seem so close."

"Yeah, we are and that's why we are here actually" Sam explained before diving into their whole family past, not even skipping over the gory dark details.

Max was floored by everything Sam had told him about his Ashley and was speechless. Sam had wandered back into the apartment when Max slid down the wall and landed on the floor. Max couldn't feel anger towards the Winchesters, but he still felt upset that Ashley didn't feel she could tell him about her past and the "family business". Max finally got the strength to wander back into the apartment to find Ashley making a pot of coffee as her brothers were bustling around the living room cleaning up all their things.

"What's going on here?" Max interrupted the family interaction.

"I asked them to give us a few minutes to talk" Ashley volunteered as she handed him a mug full of the piping brown drink.

"No need" Max waved back at the brothers finally understanding why Ashley and Dean were so close "they can stay, it'll probably be better."

"Sam and Dean want me to help them with the uh, family business" Ashley reiterated Dean's conversation with her last night.

"I know, I say go hunt with them hon, Sam told me everything right before you two got up; this life isn't your cup of tea."

Ashley was never able to say no to those stunning blue eyes, but she knew this time would be even harder. Max felt like her life now, but he was right this wasn't her cup of tea. Ashley waked towards her boyfriend to give him one last hug before going into the bedroom to pack her things.

"Don't worry about her, we always got her back" Dean said walking up towards Max.

"Yeah, thanks dude" Max chocked out, trying to hide the sobs threatening to escape his throat.

"Go spend some time with your girl before she leaves" Dean said patting Max on the shoulder as he walked back to the couch with a fresh cup of coffee in hand.

"Why didn't she tell me about you guys and hunting?" Max asked Dean, but unable to look the oldest Winchester in the eye.

"She got pissed at me right before she walked out, that's why she probably never mentioned us. As for the hunting, who wants to know about these things" Dean shrugged "hell I don't even want to know about all these Sons of Bitches. But since Mom died it's been my job to watch out for these two, and I can only do that by making this world better for them while I still can."

Max understood what Dean was saying and he respected him even more for it, but no way he was going to let Ashley walk out on him, so he only had one choice left. "I'm coming with you, to stay with Ash" Max muttered with his new found confidence and determination.

"If you want to" Dean sighed as he sipped his coffee "But Ashley's going to fight tooth and nail" Sam threw over his shoulder finishing Dean's train of thought.

"Yeah, I figure."

* * *

Ashley was furious that Max wanted to come with the Winchesters, and the only way she could convince him to stay put was promise a call a week to make sure he knew she was safe. Max agreed to those conditions, but he was not happy to be left alone.

"How did you allow him to consider tagging along?" Ashley asked no one in particular, but Sam was the one to answer "Cuz we knew you'd put him in his place."

Ashley had talked Dean into allowing her to drive back to Texas while he stretched his legs on the Impala's bench seat between them. She was happy to be back in the car with her smelly brothers hunting all things under the sun and moon.

"Look guys, I'm sorry about walking out on you."

"Ash, don't worry about it, you were upset" Dean grumbled against the window sill.

"No, I have to worry about it, I walked out on my family" Ashley mumbled as she rubbed her foot, which was lying on the door frame.

"Would you just stow it?" Dean barked as he picked up his head from the window sill. "I pissed you off, you are allowed to do what you gotta to keep from kicking my ass."

"Alright, fine" Ashley acknowledged Dean's remarks.

"But cuz of leaving without a goodbye" Dean breathed out "you gotta deal with my tired feet on your boney lap, my legs are too long to just stow in front of me."

"Ha! My ass! You are always driving so clearly they fit!"

"I don't care, I'm in charge here, so you get to deal with my smelly bare feet chilling here" Dean laughed wiggling his toes on her lap.

"Asshole!"

"Bitch!"


	10. Chapter 10: Someone's Watching

_**Someone's Watching...**_

Ashley felt weird walking around the house, but she knew it was where she truly belonged. Of course she missed Max and her mundane job at the bar, but this was her life and there was no escaping it. Ashley was happy to just relax with her brothers, but she was out of practice.

"Sammy, I'm going out for a run" she called out over her shoulder.

"Hey wait, let me come with you" he answered back as he tore himself off the couch.

"Uh alright" Ashley shrugged, stopping herself right before she stepped foot out the back door. She was secretly hoping she would have this time to herself, but Sam was never a brother on runs. "Ready?" she inquired when Sam started to come down the stairs.

"Yup."

* * *

The two youngest Winchesters were about 2 miles into their run when Sam felt they were being watched. Sam just shoved it off as someone looking out their window, but now that they were on the jogging trail away from all the houses Sam knew something was up. Sam heard rustling in the bushes surrounding the trail.

"Hey Ash, did you hear that?"

Sam had stopped short and caused Ashley to stop running and turn to face her brother. "Hear what?" Before Sam could answer, a man jumped out from the tree line and latched onto his back.

"Sam!" Ashley ran back to where her brother was struggling with the leech.

"My ankle!" Sam choked out, trying to hold still for Ashley to reach down yet still keep his neck safe from becoming a snack.

Ashley finally found the knife and allowed Sam to back into a tree before making a lung at the now pinned vampire. Ashley stuck the silver knife through the vamp's eye socket all the way down to the hilt. The Son of a Bitch slumped against Sam's back, causing him to sag towards the ground under the dead weight.

"The hell was that?" Sam panted as he shrugged the extra weight off of him.

"Well seems like your neck was main focus, so I'm going to say vamp" Ashley said with a shrug, trying to work all the extra adrenaline out of her muscles. "Come on, we should go back before it actually gets dark and we find ourselves in more trouble."

"Yeah, let's go" Sam sighed as he turned his back on the scene.

Sam and Ashley came busting through the front door, earning a gun pointed at them from a startled Dean. "Dean, it's us" Sam pleaded in order to get the 1911 off of them "we just got attacked by a vamp."

"You what?" clarified Dean as he removed the round he just put into the chamber.

"A vamp jumped out from the tree line and made a bee line for Sam" Ashley stressed as she peaked out the window to make sure her and Sam weren't followed.

"In the day light?" Dean prodded, still confused as to what was going on with the world. All Dean got was a nod from his younger siblings who were still panting. "Alright, grab your stuff; we are heading over to Bobby's for a bit."

Ashley was less than thrilled to hear they were leaving already, but she wasn't at full potential yet and she knew that.

* * *

The Winchesters were on the road before the sun went down. Ashley was squeezed in between her two brothers on the front bench seat, just because she felt safer there. Her head was lying on Dean's shoulder as he drove, never saying a single word, even if spoken to. Sam gave up trying to break Dean, so instead he resorted to putting on the pair of sunglasses that rode around in the glove box and took a nap.

Ashley didn't know why Dean suddenly went quiet, but it was on her to get Dean to open up and drop the wall and sadly it would not be happening any time soon based on his body language. "Mind if I uh-" Ashley gestured towards Dean's thigh. She was wanted to take a nap, but Dean's shoulder was too boney and her head would slam down onto the hard point he, weirdly, had right on top of his shoulder every time the Impala hit a bump in the road.

"Go ahead" Dean grumbled and moved his right arm to the seat back in order to give Ashley more room to slide in. He was currently driving with his right leg, but since he had mastered the skill of driving with his left, he decided to give the right a break and Ashley a nicer resting place. Ashley was always able to sleep in awkward positions, and that made Dean jealous. She still seemed like a little kid to him and could easily spate the hunting life with her home life, but no matter how hard Dean had tried with Lisa and Ben he couldn't separate the two; Dean decided then and there that he needed to sever all ties with them.

Ashley used to cuddle up to Dean just like this whenever John drove and it was Sam's turn to sit up front. It was a move that always comforted both of them, perhaps Dean a little more.

**AN: Whoa, what could that be? Stay tuned to find out! Tell me what you guys thought!**


	11. Chapter 11: Sleepless

_**Sleepless in Sioux Falls**_

"Dean why aren't you sleeping?" Ashley mumbled into his bicep she was using as a pillow. Ashley felt Dean tense up next to her as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Just not used to the room" Dean shrugged off Ashley's question and trying to pass of any excuse he could.

"No its not" Ashley slurred half asleep, yet still bothered by the energy her brother was putting off next to her. "Would you just spill it already?"

Dean felt bad for causing Ashley to be so uneasy. Dean promised he would tell her in the morning and told her he'd trade places with Sam tonight. "Only if you need to" Ashley agreed and rolled onto her side to make more room for Sam.

Dean felt nervous leaving Ashley alone in her dreams, but Sam would do a good enough job keeping her safe. Dean padded down stairs to where Sam was sprawled out on the too small velvet couch. A wicked thought came across Dean's thoughts, but he decided to save it for later. "Sammy, hey" Dean nudged his little brother's grounded foot.

"Dean, what?" Sam yawned.

"I'm keeping Ash up; can you go up and watch her?"

"Sure bud" Sam answered as he gathered the needed energy to drag his ass upstairs to the guest room. Sam was too tired to tell Ash he was coming in, so instead he just made sure she was rolled over enough so he wouldn't lay down on her. When Sam felt she was all the way on the edge and in no danger to be squished, he flopped down on his back and instantly fell back asleep, feeling Ashley use his shoulder again as a pillow.

"Night Sammy."

* * *

Ashley woke up first and carefully snuck out of the room grabbing her cell and a hoodie on her way out to join the boys downstairs.

Dean was up and in the kitchen drinking a cup of coffee. Ashley could tell by the glazed look in his eyes and the fact that all he had on still was his sweatpants. Ashley was always scarred when Dean looked like this because he was more irritable than normal, but he promised her last night so he was going to talk.

"Morning De" Ashley announced so as not to startle her spaced out brother.

"Hey Ash" Dean said being snapped out of his trance "sleep better once I left?"

"Meh, about the same" Ashley grumbled trying not to make Dean feel any worse than he already did.

"Yeah, Sammy's a snorer" Dean chuckled and turned to face his sister. Man she looked life crap and that was putting it nicely. Ashley's hair was all matted and her skin was very pale. Dean felt a pit grow in his stomach, he was probably the cause of this and he'd never forgive himself if he put his baby sister through hell on earth, maybe it was time he separated himself from her as well…

"Hey Dean, you said you'd tell me what's been playing on repeat in your head."

"Dammit, you were awake" Dean replied with regret written all over his face. Ashley just kept staring at Dean waiting for him to open up.

"I didn't keep the life away from Lisa and Ben like you did with Max. I think I need to walk away from them completely, but I'm-I just don't want to hurt them" Dean croaked out as one tear fell down his right cheek.

Ashley didn't know what to do, but Dean crying shocked her into silence, just like it always did Ashley felt her legs carry her towards Dean, but her mind was hazed over with confusion. "De, it's for the best. We can have Cas wipe their memories so you don't have to hurt them" she found herself say, but not sure exactly how. Ashley suddenly tightened her grip on Dean's arm as vertigo set in, making him worry more then he already was about the way she looked. Ashley would have landed on her ass if Dean didn't see her eyes start swimming.

"Whoa there girl" Dean said putting his hand on Ashley's back.

"De, I don't feel so go-" she slurred before all around her turned black.

"Ash?" Dean said seeing Ashley's eyes haze over. Panic set in and Dean officially had no idea what do. "Bobby! Sammy!" Dean screamed at the top of his lungs for help, but all Dean could think was _what did I do to hurt her now_?

**AN: Just cuz I feel bad for all these short chapters, here is another...and a cliff hanger! Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, tell me what your feeling!**


	12. Chapter 12: Going Down

_**Going Down**_

**AN: Enjoy and tell me what you think!**

Dean wouldn't budge from Ashley's side, not even when Sam and Bobby came flying down the stairs with guns blazing. Dean wasn't crying anymore, now he was honestly scarred something was really wrong with his sister- a normal person doesn't just faint for no reason.

"What happened, boy?" the grizzled hunter asked Dean once they finally got Ashley comfortable on the couch.

"We were talking, I noticed she looked like a corpse, then she started to get real unsteady and her eyes just glazed over."

"Did ya'll stop and get something to eat before showing up here?"

Of course Dean didn't think of that, Ashley and Sam had fallen asleep right out of Texas and he had eaten right before they got back from their run. "Shit, no Bobby. She didn't eat and she had gone on a run with Sam before we left." Dean officially felt like the biggest screw up for not allowing Ashley some time to grab food from the house or even letting her decided if she needed to stop and eat. He was pissed at himself and almost sent his fist through a wall, but Sam had put a comforting hand on his shoulder just in time. "Go get some food Sam" Dean ordered his brother before he had two passed out adults on his hands.

"Dean this isn't your fault. Yeah she didn't eat or drink anything for a day, but she is going to be fine. I mean look at me" Sam chuckled as he walked into the kitchen and took the last edible thing Bobby had in there.

"She's smaller" Dean grunted, unable to form coherent sentences "messes her up different." He gave up trying to be strong and collapsed on the floor next to Ashley's head.

"Alright you two idjits" Bobby broke in "I'm going to head to town and get some grub she'll eat. If she wakes up, don't let her move on her own and give her some water."

"Yes sir" Sam managed around a full mouth of whatever the hell he pulled out from the fridge.

Sam settled into Bobby's chair and pulled up to the desk trying to figure out why a vamp had attacked him in pure daylight.

* * *

Dean was finally sleeping on the floor he had collapsed to. Dean was exhausted and after fighting away the sandman for a couple minutes he gave in, but made sure to keep his head close to Ashley's in case she woke up.

Dean's snores were getting louder and louder with every breath because of how his head was titled back and the extra couple of pies he ate. Sam was already fed up with the sounds coming from his brother, but Ashley wasn't lucky enough to have a set of ear plugs. The snores were what finally brought Ashley around since it was right next to her ear. She moaned at the noise and that is what caught Dean's attention.

"Sorry I woke ya up dude" she groaned around her pounding head.

"No, you wake me up anytime" Dean yawned "how'd you manage to get away with no eating?" he added stretching his sore limbs from the sitting position.

"Especially after a run?" Sam interjected finally seeing the movement and snapping out of his research. Sam always tried to sound like an authority figure, but this time he hit the nail right on the head and sounded like John's twin.

"I-I don't know" she stammered feeling slightly attacked. "I g-g-guess I just wa-wasn't hungry." Tears started to slide down her face from a combination of embarrassment and fear that she really did mess up enough to scare her brothers.

"Whoa, hey Ash. Its fine" Dean soothed his sister. "Relax before you make yourself sick. Bobby is out getting some food for you. He said just to have you drink water, up for that kiddo?"

Ashley was having a hard time controlling her sobs, so all she did was nod. Dean got up from the floor and kissed her forehead before going to grab some water. Ashley felt Sam's eyes still boring a hole into her back.

Sam saw Ashley turn around to face him and realized he was still staring. "Sorry" he muttered as he dropped his gaze back down to the book in front of him.

"Here" Dean said pushing the water glass into her hand. He slid in behind his sister to help support her back. Ashley settled in against Dean's bare chest and focused in on his rhythmic breathing. Dean still had the glazed look in his eyes and knew this time it was her fault; Ashley needed to get him alone but there was no tearing Sam away from whatever he was reading about.

"Hey De, can you help me upstairs?"

"Bobby said not to move" Dean repeated his surrogate father's orders.

"But I got to piss."

"Oh, uh yeah sure" Dean said jumping up as if he was afraid Ashley would suddenly lose control of her bladder. Dean squatted down in front of the couch so Ashley could climb onto his back.

Half-way up the stairs is when Ashley found the courage to speak up. "Dean look, I didn't mean to scare you, but it's not your fault at all. I forgot to eat and you can't possibly say it's your job."

"I know it's not, but I should have done something-"

"How? Force a burger down my throat?" Ashley interrupted her brother.

"Fuck, I don't know Ash! But it's my job" Dean yelled without thinking of how it would affect the monkey clinging on his back.

"God Dean, you are a total ass" she whispered and released her legs from his sides. "Leave me alone, I can take care of myself."

"Like hell you can" Dean barked when he saw Ashley's knees buckle under the sudden weight "you can't even walk, hell you can't sleep by yourself anymore!"

The words stung Ashley like she just got slapped across her face. She could sleep by herself, and it was now time to prove Dean wrong.

"No, you can't sleep alone. But hey, I'm wrong and you are right, as always, so congratulations! You get the bed all to yourself!"

Ashley had slammed the bathroom door in Dean's face, leaving him alone in the hall. The anger Dean stemmed when Ashley first got sick burst through and finally sent his fist through Bobby's dry wall.

* * *

Ashley used all her energy to slam the door, so she had been locked in the bathroom for hours and refused the food both Sam and Bobby had been trying to give her for that same length of time. She could feel herself getting weaker and weaker with each passing minute, but she couldn't believe everyone still pictured her as the baby. She started to feel her eyes getting heavy and allowed them to close just for a few minutes, when she remembered that allowing a nap could be the end of her. Ashley pulled out her cell she still had stuffed into her sweatpant's waistband and sent Sam a quick plea for help.

It must had only been minutes later when she heard heavy footsteps rushing to the bathroom. "Ash? You alright?" Sam said through the door, all he got in response was the click of a lock informing him the door was open now.

Ashley's stomach did flip flops at the smell of clam chowder hit her hose, but she knew she needed to eat something. Bobby always knew clam chowder was her comfort food, Ashley was grateful for the soup. Sam sat down against the door while Ashley scarfed down the food. "Thanks Sammy" she cracked out in between mouthfuls.

"Yeah, of course. Wanna tell me why you locked yourself in here and continued on a hunger strike?"

"Dean just- he knows how to push me off the edge. He uh, he said it's still his job to take care of me cuz I'm still just a kid" she cried.

Sam understood why she felt this way, but couldn't stand to tell her she was perhaps over reacting.

"Well, Dean stormed out of here a couple hours ago. Come finish your food outside the crapper?" Sam said trying to control his laughter, but failed miserably.

"Asshole" she moaned, "just help me get downstairs? I can see two of ya just sitting here."

"Yes ma'am" Sam said crouching to allow Ashley to latch onto his back before grabbing the soup bowl.

Sam's lumbering had made her vertigo worse; it took all her strength not to puke up what she had just put into her stomach. Sam felt her stomach's rumbles on his back "just put your head down, almost there" Sam soothed as he continued down the stairs.

"Yes sir" she moaned; Ashley was grateful to be deposited on the couch.

"You good, Lady?" Bobby asked when he saw Sam put Ashley down on his couch.

"Yeah Bobby, all good till Dean gets back. Thanks for the soup."

"I'll take care of that fool when he drags his ass back here."


	13. Chapter 13: Out for Blood

_**Out for Blood**_

**AN: Will that throw down (you guys have been talking about) happen? Enjoy and tell me what you think!**

Dean couldn't believe he said what he did to Ashley, especially after just getting her to come back in his life. After punching a good sized hole in Bobby's wall, Dean decided he needed to distance himself from Ashley as much as he could bear. She still had Sam, so Dean knew she would be just fine.

He had found himself a gentleman's club and had got himself a pretty girl who was willing to take him home with her. "I'll drive sweet cakes" he said shaking his keys and leading his blond escort tot eh black beauty parked away from all the other cars, but the two love birds couldn't wait to get home.

* * *

Dean woke up with a blonde asleep on his bare body, the skin on skin contact made Dean's heart race and a little something else make a move. He couldn't help himself from feeling what he did, and the blond passed out on him also felt the same thing.

"Mmm, good morning to you too" blonde spoke into Dean's chest.

"Uh yeah, hey" Dean moaned at the sound of her voice against his chest "uh, wanna go get something to eat?"

"Sure babe" she smirked as she sat up onto her knees "by the way I'm Bay."

"Dean" he barked, pulling himself up to sit against the back door.

"Well, Dean" Bay purred "I am hungry" she said, allowing her teeth to retract and lunged at Dean's neck.

* * *

Ashley was curled up on Bobby's couch staring at the laptop in front of her. She was engrossed in the lore she was looking up and didn't even notice Sam was standing in front of her until he closed the lid to the laptop. "The Hell Sam!"

"Get up, get dressed, get your shit. We got to go now" Sam urged his sister up.

"What, why?" she said with a panic in her voice.

"Dean called, he's been attacked."

"By what?"

"A vamp, couple hours ago!"

"My god, is he alright?"

"I don't know, he didn't sound good, then he just stopped talking all together" Sam admitted to his sister as he hoped into one of the few running cars on Bobby's lot and drove out to help his brother.

Ashley was still mad at her brother, but seeing him lying on the back seat of the Impala with no clothes on scared her. She ran back to the truck and grabbed a blanket to wrap around Dean before Sam wrestled his brother's dead weight out of the Impala. The back hatch to the Ford Explorer was open and littered with medical supplies. "He needs blood" Ashley concluded with one look at Dean's gaping wound.

"You can't give him any" Sam barked at the sight of his sister rolling up her sleeve "plus you got to patch that before you can even think about putting any in him." Sam was right; she had barely eaten any in two days.

"Fine, you call Bobby and tell him to raid a blood bank, I'll get him patched up then you get to open up a vain for a bit."

"Yes ma'am" Sam said getting up from the Explorer's trunk and giving Bobby a call.

When Sam got back, Ashley had already started the 'Nam transfusion John had decided to teach his kids one day and had it all hooked up to Dean's right arm. "Alright Sam, give me your left arm. You get to sit here and give till you can. I'm going to go look for this Son of a Bitch while we wait for you two to be portable again."

"Yeah, sure thing Little One" Sam said getting comfortable next to his big brother.

Ashley was already running towards the tree line with machete in hand.

* * *

It had been awhile since Ashley had disappeared into the trees, and Sam himself was starting to feel light headed. Same gave Ashley's phone a call and was grateful when she answered on the 3rd ring.

"Yeah" she barked into the phone.

"Ash, we gotta get Dean back" he whispered "and I don't know how much more juice I can give."

"Crap, right! I'll be there in 5, don't take the tube out though, your hands will be too shaky. Just pinch it shut" she ordered her brother as she took off back towards the club.

She had forgotten Sam was bleeding into Dean this whole time, so she let the adrenaline carry her back to the two vulnerable boys.

"How is he?" she panted as she rushed over to peek at Dean from around the truck.

"Uh, good. He um-opened his eyes for a sec then passed out again" Sam struggled to say against the sudden weight his eyelids had picked up.

"Alright here, drink this" she ordered, pushing a bottle of sugar water into his right hand while she set to work on removing the now red stained tube. "Put pressure on this" she said shoving a clean rag into the crook of his arm. Ashley set to bandaging up Dean's right arm as Sam shifted into a more comfortable position next to Dean.

"I'll stay back here with Dean and tell Bobby we are heading back."

"Alright, good" Ashley said slamming the back shut and jumping into the driver's seat.

* * *

By the time Ashley expertly maneuvered the Explorer's back end up to face the door, Bobby was out and hooking Dean up to a blood bag and handing Sam a sandwich and a glass of orange juice. It took all of Ashley and Bobby's strength to get Dean over to the couch, but they had managed without any hang-up or major head bonks. Sam finally lumbered in and only then allowed himself to collapse in a chair. Sam knew he probably gave Dean too much of his own blood, but Sam was still doing alright.

"Jesus I'm sorry Sammy" Ashley sighed once she finally saw how much he resembled a pile of shit.

"'ts fine Ash" Sam slurred "better me then you right now."

"I shouldn't have left you for so long! I-I just saw red!"

"I didn't give the whole time" Sam admitted "honestly I just need food and a long nap."

Bobby was working on cleaning up Dean's neck so less of the blood that was being put in him came out. "Ash, come here a sec" he bellowed from the kitchen.

"Sure Bobby, what's up?"

"Where'd you learn this back road doctor crap?" Bobby asked 100% impressed at how well everything worked out.

"Uh- hah, from Pop actually. It was when he was on one of his _Marine survivalist binges_" she laughed, causing Bobby to start laughing as well.

"Course John would" Bobby uttered out once he got his composure back.

"Hey, it worked" Sam reputed from his post in the study.

"And saved this idjit's ass" Bobby said finishing the last stitch on Dean's back wound.

"Good, just in time for me to pound his boney ass" Ashley responded with a huge grin and an added swing in her hips.


	14. Chapter 14: Baby No More

_**Baby No More!**_

Bobby and Ashley had set up the guest bedroom so it would accommodate all 3 Winchesters so no one would be alone during the night. Dean was lucky and got the bed just because he was worse off, while Sam and Ashley got bedrolls and blankets.

Ashley was last to head up to bed because she wanted to run something past the old hunter. When she got the answer she wanted Ashley headed upstairs with a fresh beer in hand. Dean was still out, but had rolled over exposing the top of his pale boney ass. She tried to stifle a laugh but instead it came out a snort and woke Sam up.

"Ya good, Ash?" Sam whispered.

"Wha-oh yeah, just something funny" she said offering Sam a sip of her beer. "Go back to sleep bud, you look like a pile of baby crap."

"Hah, yeah thanks, I feel it" he said rolling back onto his stomach.

* * *

The early morning light hadn't even started to flood into the room when Dean finally woke up. He felt like a truck had just rolled over him, but he still had to pee. Dean peeked over the foot of the bed and saw Sam lying in one corner of the room, while Ashley was curled up on the other side of the room. Seeing a clear path to the door, Dean tried to get out of bed without waking the other two people in the room; but he kicked a lone beer bottle and sent it rolling over to where Sam was.

"Dean? The hell are you doing out of bed?" he whispered angrily at his brother to avoid waking up his sister.

"Dude, I gotta pee" Dean laughed at the look on Sam's ashen face- clearly he was shocked to see Dean was still in his birthday suit.

"I'd hurry up before Mother Bear here tears us both a new one for being awake" he warned.

"Why'd she jump on your case?" Dean asked trying to keep his voice down.

"Tell ya tomorrow" Sam moaned cuz of the sudden pounding in his head from trying to keep it up to talk to Dean.

"Fine" Dean mumbled as he went to go pee.

Dean took a while to walk down to the bathroom, but he finally made it without incident and was bracing himself on the wall in front of him to keep upright. Dean felt worse than he was letting on, but when he caught sight of how bad Sammy looked his brotherly instinct kicked in. "What the hell happened?" he asked himself. Dean wasn't expecting an answer, but a sleepy voice answered him, scarring the pee out of him faster and causing it to splash a little.

"You got bit a couple times, Sam had to give ya his blood" Ashley yawned, followed by a chuckle wen Dean missed his target.

"Who?" he said, finally regaining his composure.

"No idea, found you uh-" she motioned to his state of dress "in the back seat bleeding all over the leather."

"Dammit, I just cleaned the upholstery" Dean cursed. "That damn stripper. She was going to take me to her place but we never, uh-"

"Made it?" she finished for her big brother. All she got in response was a nod. "Alright" she said as she walked back towards the bedroom. "Seriously Dean, would you stop getting up?" she pestered using his words against him.

"_Yes Mom_" he said following her back into the guest room.

* * *

By the time Ashley wandered downstairs in was close to 10, she hadn't slept in this late since she was on her own. Ashley took a shower before heading downstairs to see what Bobby was up to. She was running low on alone time these days, so she took her time and used all the hot water in the heater to wash and condition her hair. When Ashley finally made her way down stairs she saw Bobby searching his bookcase. "Morning Bobby" she purred to her surrogate father.

"Hey, Baby Girl" Bobby muttered over his shoulder, using Dean's nickname for Ashley "there's food on the stove, eat it."

"Alright Bobby" she pouted "now you really cut me down to the quick."

"Yeah, yeah" Bobby waved her off "where are those brothers of yours?"

"Ah, you know lying around still. Watcha looking for?"

"Not for, I found it already."

"Found wha?"

"The reason why- wait a sec, are you wearing a skirt?"

"Ha, yeah Bobby. What, never knew I had hips and not the dangly bits?" she chuckled at the look plastered on his voice.

"Well one does forget when ya come stomping in covered in blood and mud" he shrugged.

"Awesome, thanks Bobby" Ashley said around the eggs in her mouth. Ashley was so busy making another pot of coffee that she didn't hear the boys coming downstairs until Dean had snuck up behind her and given her a hug.

"Hey Killer" Dean said turning her around to face him.

"Morning" she said curtly.

"Clearly you're still pissed" Dean said taking a shaky step backwards. Ashley only gave him a hard stare waiting to find out where Dean was going with this. "Look, Sammy told me what happened yesterday while you were running around in the woods. You did good, kid."

"Still _kid_ though" she shrugged and went back to making coffee.

"You know what I-"

"No, what you meant to do is kick your pale ass, but it would be like kicking a damn puppy! You won't get it; you never do, just because I am smaller than you and Sam!"

"Fine, what do you want me to do?" Dean finally surrendered.

"Get off your damn high horse and treat me as an equal!" she yelled slamming her fist on the counter and feeling a crunch.

* * *

Of course Ashley had hurt her hand, but it wasn't bad enough to stem her anger. She cradled her hand but continued to close in on her brother. "I left Max to come back because you asked me to. Don't you get it Dean? I will follow you to the moon and back! Hell I'd die for you, but you can't even see me as an adult!"

Sam finally stepped in to separate the two most stubborn people he knew. Ashley's hand was hot and swollen from where she slammed it on the counter. "Dean, would you just sit down? The little blood you got is all in your head and it's going to knock you over" Sam barked at his brother who was swaying on his feet. "And you" he said turning to his sister "get Bobby to look at your hand then go take a walk" he scowled as he pushed his sister out of the kitchen. When she was finally out of earshot, Sam turned back to his brother "Dean, we gotta talk!"

**AN:Oh, what's she gonna do next? Stay tuned! Tell me what me you think!**


	15. Chapter 15: Gunpowder and Lead

_**Gunpowder and Lead**_

After Bobby concluded Ashley's hand was not broken just traumatized she went out into the salvage yard to cool down. Ashley smiled as the memories of spending weekends at Bobby's flooded her mind; John would drop the kids off with strict orders of _no cartoons _and _training for Dean while Sam and Ashley were to learn to read and write! No exceptions! _But Bobby never really listened, Ashley and Sam were glued to the TV after a few lessons, while Dean was shadowing Bobby and learning how to fix cars. Occasionally Ashley would wander out into the salvage yard and come up with stories of how these cars ended up here.

Ashley wanted to tell someone about her childhood endeavors, so she pulled out her phone to call Max. The phone rang and rang and rang and eventually just went to voicemail. She was heartbroken that Max didn't pick up when she was looking to just hear his sweet voice, so she hung up and allowed the tears she felt prick her eyes to fall.

Once she got her composure back, Ashley started her trek back to the house. Dean was sitting on the porch steps with a beer in hand and another sitting next to his worn boots. "Great, just what I need" she cursed to herself as she continued towards her brother.

"Hey" Dean cleared his throat.

"Hi" she reciprocated, aiming to just walk past her brother.

"Uh, wanna take a sit with me?" Dean begged.

"Fine, if I have to" she sighed, taking the beer offered to her "wanna pop the top for me?" she said after fumbling with the twist off for a bit.

"Right, sorry" Dean mumbled "so I just wanna tell you I am uh-sorry."

"You keep saying that" Ashley said taking a sip from the amber bottle.

"I know I do, it's just I don't know how to change my behavior."

"Here's a thought, let me take care of you two dumbasses" she chuckled.

"Alright" Dean surrendered "my life is now in your hands, don't drop it" he said leaning back on the step behind him.

Ashley smiled and followed dean's lead of leaning back to get comfortable.

"Sam found a case in Nevada" Dean said after a couple minutes of silence.

"What is it?" she said finishing her beer.

"Just a normal salt and burn, you good to come?" he asked nodding at her hand.

"Dude, I just said stop taking care of me! Plus I didn't just lose my blood" she said standing up to show she was done with this talk. "Come on, let's go get Baby back and pick up some food" Ashley smiled as she offered her good hand down to Dean.

"You're the boss" Dean agreed as he accepted the hand up. AS soon as he let it go, Ashley slapped her brother right on the back of the head before going back in to the house and grabbing the Explorer's keys.

"Hey!" he complained about the abuse!

"Sorry, cant hear you over your stubbornness" she sang back as she held up her middle finger and closed the door to the complains coming out of Dean's mouth. He deserved it, she wasn't going to apologize no matter how much he begged!

* * *

Ashley was sitting in the Explorer waiting for Dean to come out of the liquor store when her cell started to ring on the seat next to her. Ashley peeked over expecting to see Sam or Bobby's name, but instead it was Max. Her heart gave a little jump and she picked up as fast as humanly possible "Max! Hey!" she smiled, happy to hear back from him.

"Uh, hey Ash. How-how you've been" Max asked, voice still heavy with sleep.

"Good, hah well busy actually."

"Oh yeah, with what?"

"Um- vampires. One jumped on Sam 5 days back and one almost drained Dean 2 days ago- had to give him a 'Nam transfusion."

"Jeeze, sounds like you got a lot on your plate" Max laughed.

"You've got no idea" she moaned "so what have you been up to?"

"Just working, David the drunk asks about you all the time. Oh, and he hates the new girl."

"New girl huh, what she look like?" Ashley asked flirtatiously when Dean finally came out of the store. "Ah shit, Max I gotta go. Talk soon?"

"S-sure babe, love you."

"I love you, too" she choked out as Dean stepped up to her open window.

"Wow, really love the guy already" Dean remarked as he looked into his little sister's eyes. The only response he got was a couple stray tears and deep breaths.

"Let's go back to Bobby's, I got you 2 things of fireball" he teased.

"Good, Ima need it tonight" Ashley said wiping the stray tears away from her cheeks.

Dean accepted this as an _I'm alright for now_ and continued back towards the black car parked behind the Explorer. Ashley was in love, but she never cried this many times in a week. "God, I need to toughen up again, Max turned me into a chick" Ashley sighed to herself as she floored the pedal, causing the truck to rocket down the two lane highway and ditch Dean behind her.

Dean's Impala was left in the dust and that was all Ashley needed to feel like the skirt she put on this morning was the object that didn't belong.

* * *

"The hell was that?" Dean barked at Ashley as she swung out of the truck.

"What? I can't go a little too fast and have a great time?" she laughed, trying to hold onto this great feeling.

"What's going on with you, Ash?" Dean prodded further.

That is when Ashley's happy good mood finally disappeared, causing more tears to fall down her cheeks. "I think Max is seeing someone else" she sobbed.

"Ash, you spoke with the dude for 5 minutes!"

"I woke him up, at 7:00 at night. He wasn't sick, so he should be at work."

Dean knew Ashley was right just because it was Ashley and she knew the guy better than he did. "Alright, get in" Dean said opening up the passenger door "I'll give them their food, tell Sam we need a little bonding time and tell Bobby to get some other hunter on the case."

"Thanks De" Ashley sighed as she sank onto the seat.

"Yeah yeah" he grumbled as he walked inside to deliver the food and news. Dean opened up the door and slid into the seat. "Get some rest" he said using his left leg to dive and opening up his right side to accommodate his sister.

* * *

Ashley was asleep mere minutes into the drive. Dean prayed with all his might they both were wrong and Max just had a cold or a day off. Dean rounded the corner that put them right outside the apartment building.

Dean looked down at his sister and honestly felt bad for her. "Ash, we're here" Dean urged his little sister awake. It was now close to sun up, but Dean wasn't even slightly tired "you ready to do this?"

"Yeah" she scoffed, pushing herself up from Dean's, now asleep, right leg. "You coming up with me?"

A smile spread across Dean's face. It was honestly the simplest question, but it caused Dean to feel needed again "only if you want me there-"

"Always" Ashley interjected as she opened the car door to get out.

Both Winchesters headed up the stairwell and stopped right outside apartment C-5. Ashley hesitated at the knock, but the smell of gunpowder, lead, and leather coming off her rock behind her helped her gather the strength she needed to place knuckle on wood.


	16. Chapter 16: When You're Broken

_**When You're Broken**_

It felt like a lifetime passed and the door was still shut. Ashley's mind was racing around every moment she spent with Max. She was almost as happy with Max as she was with Sam and Dean, after Sam got over his wall being broken down. Dean's tired sigh broke Ashley from her thoughts and drove Ashley to bang on the door one more time. There was a rustling behind the door, signifying someone was finally coming to the door.

"Here we go" Dean said squeezing Ashley's shoulder.

Max opened the door in a pair of baggy sweatpants and sleep tosseled hair. "What the hell-oh, Ash!" he said finally opening his eyes wide enough to see the two Winchesters standing in the hall.

"Hey babe" Ashley answered sheepishly.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"Well, Killer here was climbing up the walls" Dean said for his tongue tied sister.

"Can I come in?" she said taking a step closer to her love.

"Uh, it's not a-" Max started.

"Seriously, I just drove nonstop from South Dakota" Dean said slightly irked.

Ashley took the hesitation to push past Max and into the messy apartment- that's when she saw the pink lacy bra thrown on the lamp in the corner. "You Son of a Bitch" she hissed as she felt her hand soar through the air and collide with his scruffy face.

"Whoa now, Killer" Dean said running up to get in between the quarreling lovers and almost earning him a smack in the face, until she stopped short of Dean's face.

"The hell did you do?" Ashley spat around her brother.

"I was lonely, alright?"

"Ash, go wait in the car" Dean barked "I'll talk to Romeo here and uh, finish up what you started" Dean smirked to the man behind him.

"Yeah, thanks Dean" she said snatching the keys from Dean.

* * *

"So Buddy boy" Dean crooned "why'd you have to go and do that to her?"

Max was scarred of the hunter in front of him. "Look, I didn't mean to hurt Ash, but I-I-I was lonely!" Max stammered.

"Dammit Max! Then call her or heck order a little pay-per-view! Not put my sister through the ringer again!" Dean barked into Max's now bruised face.

"So lookie here, you don't call her, you don't even picture her face before you fall asleep" Dean asserted "or I swear, I'll come back and beat you again!"

"Wait agai-" Max started , but was stopped by a punch to the jaw and a couple kicks to the ribs.

"Heh, be grateful it wasn't Ash or Sammy" Dean laughed as he grabbed his jacket off the floor "they can't stop themselves like I can."

Dean lied, he wanted to keep going,. Every bone in his hunting body wanted to keeep punch that douchebag until blood was coming out of every orface, but coming back out to his sister with blood on his knuckles and shirt would only hurt her more even if she didn't want to admit it

* * *

Ashley was sitting on the hood of the Impala in sweatpants instead of a skirt, Dean was pretty sure those were Sam's Stanford ones she occasionally stole from his duffle.

"Thanks De" she whispered with a rough voice, not bothering to budge from her position, on the hood.

"Yeah, sure thing" Dean responded still fuming that some guy hurt his baby sister. Before Dean came out of the building he called Sam to tell him what really happened. Sam and Dean both agreed the only way to cheer Ash up was a party, but Sam pointed out that it was too soon. Dean let AShley clamp on to his back and carried her into the car as they headed for the closest motel.

Dean was barely awake by the time they pulled into the hotel. Dean wasted no time stripping off his clothes and crawling in to bed. Dean rolled onto his left side to get more comfortable, and saw Ashley was still standing by the door. She looked so broken and lost; Dean felt horrible for Ashley but there wasn't a thing he could do to take the pain away but he could help. " 'ey Ash" Dean murmured "come here."

"Yeah, what?" she said leaning over her brother. All she got in response was Dean patting the bed next to him. She was happy to sleep with someone in the same bed, even if Dean did just give her greif for being such a baby and unable to sleep alone. "Thanks De" she sobbed as she placed her head on Dean's peck. "Mmhm" he mumbled half asleep and wrapping a protective arm around his broken sister.

**AN: Sorry about that cliffhanger I left you all on, but you know deep down you like it! Hope you liked, tell me what you thought! Next chapter will be a flash back, so no one get confused alright? :)**


	17. Chapter 17: In a million little piece

_**Broken in a million little pieces...**_

**AN: Based on the song "Broken" by Lindsay Haun from the movie "Broken Bridges"(I do not own the lyrics). Flash back fluff chapter...came to me while I was editing the last chapter and the song came on the radio. Hope you guys like it! Tell me what you think! (bolded is the lyrics, look up the video on youtube, it really is a lot better when you listen to it instead of just read the lyrics).**

******Ashley's point of view!**

As I was lying down with Dean, I couldn't help by hear the one country song that I liked float into my head. I never listened to country, but this came on the radio one day while I was left at Bobby's as a kid and out cleaning up some junk in his garage. "Broken" explained a lot of how I felt, especially now. I let the song come into my head a play once, then again, and again. Eventually it dragged in memories with each verse that I couldn't block out no matter how hard I tried.

**Wake up to a Sunny Day  
Not a cloud up in the sky  
And then it starts to rain  
My defenses hit the ground  
And they shatter all around  
So open and exposed  
But I found strength in the struggle  
Face to face with my troubles**

_It was the first week with Max and the first week without my brothers close by. There was some article about a man killed in another bar a few miles away from the one I worked at and lived above now. Authorities were saying it was an animal attack, but last time I heard animals couldn't open a door and walk into a bar without being seen. My phone rang next to me and pulled me out of my hunting mindset. "What is it, Max?" I flirted into the phone. _

"_It's sunny out, not a cloud in the sky. Let's go to the park."_

_I couldn't help but smile into the phone at my new boyfriend's romantic notion. "Yeah, definitely. I'll be right down" I answered as I ran down from the room I was staying in above the bar._

_The park was fun, he packed a blanket and Dr. Peppers, my favorite. I couldn't help but stare at his full pink lips and light brown scruff on his cheeks. Max saw where I was staring and began to lean in-he was going to kiss me. The sky opened up and he kissed me right in the rain, even though there was no sign of a storm coming. The kiss was like none I had ever had before. This kiss was a real one, one that begged for more because I actually was liked and wanted. I felt that wall I built up after I lost my baby crumble once Max pulled away and smile at me. I was someone to this guy, I thought I'd be safe with him._

**When you're broken**  
**In a Million little pieces**  
**And your tryin'**  
**But you can't hold on any more**  
**Every tear falls down for a reason**  
**Don't you stop believin' in yourself**  
**When you're broken**

_Max was perfect, Max didn't just see me as a piece of meat like that demon infested frat boy that knocked me up._

**Little girl don't be so blue**  
**I know what you're going through**  
**Don't let it beat you up**  
**Hittin' walls and gettin' scars**  
**Only makes you who you are**  
**Only makes you who you are**  
**No matter how much your heart is aching**  
**There is beauty in the breaking**

_Max convinced me to move in with him and away from work. The two months I had spent with Max so far was great, but it wasn't easy for me. I kept thinking about Sam and Dean whenever something weird happened, were they okay? Where were they? I looked down at my leg to that scar and couldn't help but feel like I got ditched by Dean again, and ditched for Lisa and Ben! Max had snuck in to the room without any signs that he was even home. _

"_What's that from, babe?" he whispered into my ear, seeing my fingering the puckered skin. I couldn't tell him what I did or why I did it, he would think I was crazy and dependent on my brothers. Sam fucking around with a demon would be all he needed to hear before calling 911 and sending me to some nut house. This was my secret, this is what made me who I am today-a strong woman who misses her brothers more and more with every thought of them._

"_Nothing. Just reminds me I can survive without my family" I sighed. He didn't know about Sam and Dean, nor how Mom and Dad died. I would never tell him, that was my past and he has no right to know._

"_Shows me your beautiful" Max said as he pushed me back down onto the bed and kissed me deeply. His hands moved under my clothes and slowly worked at healing my shattered heart and worked at getting my shirt and shorts off of me as fast as possible._

**When you're broken**  
**In a Million little pieces**  
**And your tryin'**  
**But you can't hold on any more**  
**Every tear falls down for a reason**  
**Don't you stop believin' in yourself**  
**When you're broken**

_Max told me he loved me that night. I broke down and started to cry when he unsnapped my lacy-black bra. "Baby, it's okay. I love you, only you. Forever!" Max said as he pulled me onto his chest. "Believe me, Ashley, believe yourself" he sighed as he smoothed down my frizzy hair. He stopped what he was doing, he even snapped my bra back on after I was sobbing into his chest. God this was sexy, I cried my way out of sex with my boyfriend, but that is when I knew he was the right guy for me, a good guy that would never do anything to hurt me. I was safe with him, I could live with him! But Sam and Dean would have to be pushed out of my life forever for that to happen, and that was one thing I could not stomach. I felt myself fall asleep in his arms, he didn't try to move me, he just held me all night long._

**Better days are gonna find you once again  
Every piece will find its place  
When you're broken  
When you're broken  
**

_The engine pulling up to the door was the engine I have been hoping to hear since week 1. I missed my brothers more than anything in the world! But what do I tell Max? He didn't know about these two guys walking in with me, and he sure as hell didn't know that I wanted to jump into that car and get the hell out of Dodge the second I saw it. How do I leave Max? He never judged, he showed my the good in the world and nothing had even came sniffing around our place in the 6 months I considered him my boyfriend. Maybe it was possible to get out of the life. But Sam and Dean brought the last puzzle piece I needed to finish putting my life back together-I'm still broken though! Torn between 3 amazing guys that could protect me from life. I can't leave with Sam and Dean, but I can't stay with Max either. These guys could never be under the same roof together, it was one or the other and I would have to make that choice. When I saw Max's face fall because some other guy had his arm around my shoulders and I was smiling, my heart fell straight to the floor and no one could pick it up and brush it off. There were too many ways this could go wrong-what if he stops loving me and goes running to some other blond? What if Sam or Dean runs off and ditches me on the side of the road or worse, at Bobby's again? I wouldn't survive either scenario, but one was going to happen-I knew it right then and there with Max shooting my brother's the evil eye for touching his girl._

**When you're broken  
In a Million little pieces  
And your tryin'  
But you can't hold on any more  
Every tear falls down for a reason  
Don't you stop believin' in yourself  
When you're broken  
Oh When you're broken  
**

_I left with Sam and Dean barely a week ago, and already Max moved on from me. I fucking knew this was going to happen, I just prayed I was wrong for once. How could I believe in myself when he did that to me? I let the song fly out of my head when Dean finally fell into a deep sleep and began snoring. The rumble in his chest tickled my ear and shook all the memories associated with that song out of my skull. I could recall the first time I heard Dean snore, it was soon after Sam left for Stanford and it was a night Dad left on a job alone, saying he could take care of it himself. Dean handed me a beer and then drank himself into oblivion. I had to put him to bed like he did Dad many times, then that rumble came out of his mouth- he was putting on weight from all the pie and alcohol. He was trashing himself all because Sam wanted a better life. It hurt me, but I knew Sammy wasn't trying to. He even begged me to come with him when Bobby called him to say his acceptance letter came in. He said we could get an apartment together, we could be a normal brother and sister duo in California! But I said no, and he understood. As I listened to Dean's snores grow louder, I felt my eyelids grown heavier. As I fell asleep more memories came into my head- my childhood, my family, and then more Max._


	18. Chapter 18: Cloud 9

_**Cloud 9**_

**AN: Picks up after _When Your Broken. _Just a heads up, its finals time, so please work with me-updates will not happen as often. They will start back up in a couple weeks.  
****Enjoy, tell me what you think!**

Dean was exhausted from not sleeping and loosing most of his blood, so he hadn't moved since slinging a protective arm around his sister. Ashley cried most of the night and finally slipped into a restless sleep. Her dreams were happy ones involving Max and her going down to the park, or sleeping in because they spent all night watching movies. Ashley felt like she was living those memories all over again, until she saw the scene change around her.

Ashley was now back on the grave yard battle field. She was watching Michael and Lucifer square up to show down. Lucifer was then suddenly standing over Dean, hitting him over and over and over again-until he was an unrecognizable bloody mess. Ashley kept screaming, trying to get Sam to get control over the devil inside, but instead just kept wailing on Dean. "Hey" echoed on the battle field, breaking Ashley's concentration on her brothers.

"Hey" Dean said, grabbing Ashley's thin shoulders "what's going on?"

Ashley was still really groggy from little sleep and being woken up in the middle of a dream. Ashley had neither the desire of the energy to tell Dean about her dream, so instead she rolled over and fell back asleep. Dean was running on only a couple hours of sleep, so he took Ashley's action as an _I'll tell you later_ and also fell back asleep without moving from his current position.

Ashley fell right back into a dream, this time it was her being dragged down to hell. Ashley was being choked by Ruby and being dragged towards the Devil's Gate in the middle of the old cowboy grave yard. "No" she spat into Ruby's face, but she was awarded by Ruby latching on to Ashley's neck.

"Ah, Ashley" Ruby laughed at Ashley's desperate attempts to fight for her freedom. "Ash" Ruby said again, pinning her arms to her sides. This time Ashley could have sworn it sounded like Dean's voice.

"No!" Ashley shouted, breaking free of Ruby's hold and running-straight into the present.

Dean was standing over Ashley, holding her arms down, concern written all over his face. "The hell, Ashley?" Dean begged. Ashley tried to look away from Dean, but he quickly put his face back in Ashley's line of vision.

"Nothing just a bad dream" she choked out from her sore throat.

"Yeah, not letting me sleep, so I'm not letting you get away with it this time" Dean growled as he finally released Ashley's arms. "Would you just tell me?"

She didn't want to tell her brother either dream, but she knew Dean wasn't letting her off the hook.

"It was Sam's swan dive first. He was pounding on you and for some reason I was rooted in place, I couldn't move-I couldn't save you, Dean" she sobbed. The tears stung her eyes, but wouldn't spill over the brim.

"Yeah well" Dean started "my face can take more hits than yours" Dean smirked.

"Not funny, Dean" she sniffled.

"I wasn't trying to be. So what about this last one?"

Ashley knew this last one was really going to hurt her big brother on many levels. The first level was the fact that Ruby's name was mentioned, second being the fact Ruby was in their lives because he got himself dragged to hell which let Sam get closer to the demonic bitch. And thirdly, the fact that she was being dragged to hell would really be the blow that knocked Dean out.

"Uh" she stalled "well, R-Ruby was uh- trying to d-drag me through Devil's Gate" she finally got out.

As expected, Dean wasn't expecting to hear that specific combination of those words come out of Ashley's mouth. "Please say something De" Ashley pleaded. Dean still sat there on the edge of the bed by Ashley's feet. "Dean-"

"It's not going to happen, Baby Girl" he muttered into his hands.

"Dea-"

"I said, not going to happen!"

"Dammit Dean, listen to me!" she yelled louder than Dean had. "If it does, you won't go pawning yourself off again."

"No Ash-"

"Hey, I said not sell your soul, or Sammy's. Just- get me back, yeah?"

"Sure thing, Kid" Dean agreed.

* * *

Sam and Bobby were waiting around for the other two Winchesters to get back before they made the call. Sam wasn't sure what Ashley would want, so he ordered up the basics, along with a little something for him and Dean.

The roar of the Impala's engine _finally_ coming up to the porch told Sam it was time to put the plan in motion. Ashley didn't know Sam already knew, so she asked Dean to tell him so she could take a shower.

"Got everything set?" Dean asked Sam once their sister was out of earshot.

"Yeah, they'll be here in 15 or so."

"And what about us?"

"Taken care of" Sam said with a big smile.

* * *

Ashley was lounging against Sam's side on Cloud 9. Her brother's most definitely knew how to pick up her spirits- the firefighter by far was her favorite one though.

"Thanks for tonight, Sammy" she said snuggling under Sam's arm lounging on the back of the couch.

"We had a Winchester down, only way to resuscitate her was to call in a real live firefighter" Sam laughed at the memory of the firefighter giving her mouth to mouth. But according to Ashley's memory, that's not all he put his mouth to in order to try and revive her, Sam just got busy with his own entertainment and snuck the firefighter into a private room.


	19. Chapter 19: Spawn of Evil

_**Spawn of Evil**_

Ashley had fallen asleep nestled under Sam's arm while Dean was still finishing up with the school girl, Sam didn't want to move her up stairs simply because she looked so damn happy and peace. Sam had also fallen asleep with time, his head resting on top of Ashley's.

"Good morning Sunshine" Dean called as he bounced downstairs. Both Winchesters snapped awake, stunned by Dean's sudden announcement.

"Well aren't you in a good mood this morning" Sam grumbled, feeling the effects of last night finally.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Dean proclaimed "Our little Killer here got arrested, and then save by a fireman!"

"Yeah, one hell of a night" Ashley said, getting the strength to sit up "thanks guys, really."

"Anytime, Little One" Sam responded giving her a quick pat on the leg before rushing to the bathroom.

* * *

Ashley hadn't thought of Max or the dreams for a day now, and it was showing; she was glowing and looked alive. Dean was happy to see his sister bounding around Bobby's place cooking and cleaning.

Dean knew they had stayed at Bobby's for long enough and it was time for them to go back to Texas. "Hey Ash" Dean called out from the study.

"Yeah, what's up?"

"Come give me a hand with something?"

"Sure dude."

Dean had a surprise set up for Ashley and he knew it would be the best option to get her help on it.

"Wanna help me rebuild it?" Dean said lifting the sheet off the old Mustang.

"Dude, seriously" Ashley exclaimed "hell yeah I want to help!"

"Awesome."

* * *

Ashley was under the hood of the blue Mustang when she heard footsteps coming up behind her.

"Finally, can you hand me a wrench?" Ashley asked expecting to see Dean behind her, instead it was some little boy, holding the bloody hand of a younger girl.

"Oh, uh hey. Are you two lost?" Ashley asked squatting down to their level, but she got no response. "You two kids alright?" Ashley still got no answer. "Alright" she sighed, standing up and turning her back on two children to call Bobby, but before she could manage a word, she felt someone jump onto her back.

"Shit" she muttered collapsing under the weight.

"Dean! Sammy! He-" she screamed before the tumor on her back clamped a sweaty hand over her mouth.

"Shh, we're hungry" the little boy said into her ear. "Don't want anyone interrupting our snack" whined the little girl.

Ashley couldn't see either of the children, but the sound of teeth sliding down into place kicked Ashley into gear. Ashley threw the little brat off her back and made a grab for a wrench and wacked the little girl right across the jaw. "Gah, I fricken hate vampires" Ashley muttered as the little girl put her jaw back in place.

"Shit" Ashley said scrambled back to her bare feet. The little boy was walking back towards Ashley and she had nothing to use to cut their heads off. Ashley sprinted towards the garage, where she found one of Bobby's old hand saws. It was rusted, but she hoped it would do the trick.

Ashley walked back out of the garage to face the two devil spawn that attacked her. The children were nowhere in sight, but Ashley knew better than to assume they left. Ashley began to head back towards the house when a child jumped onto her back and sank a set of needle sharp teeth into the soft flesh at the base of her neck. Ashley screamed, but was unable to get the vampire off her back. Ashley collapsed, and felt the vampire start to suck harder to get everything they could from the depleting source, but thankfully she felt the teeth yank free of her neck like they had been torn out. She looked up and saw Dean standing over her covered in blood.

"De?" Ashley asked through heavy eyelids and hazy vision.

"Yeah, I got you Ash, you're ok" Dean said scooping up his bleeding sister and earning more blood on his clothes.

"Two" she muttered sleepily.

"Yeah, Sam got the boy" Dean assured his sister "let's get you inside and cleaned up."

Ashley tried to stay awake, but she lost the fight despite Dean pleading with her and slipped into unconsciousness. When she woke up, Ashley found herself lying on the floor on pillows. Above her, Dean was curled up on the couch with a tube running from his arm into hers. Dean was snoring above her, with a rag laid across his forehead trying to cool him down.

"Ash, you're up" Sam said rushing towards her.

"Sammy, what-"

"You're fine, so is Dean. He's only been hooked up for a couple minutes" Sam informed his worried sister. "Ya know, for being such a big 'tough guy' he really can't handle giving up his blood" Sam laughed as he shook Dean awake.

"What?" Dean said, not able to open his eyes.

"She's up, you're off the hook, my turn now" Sam said removing the tube from Dean's arm and stitched up the gash, before starting in on his own arm.

"Thank god" Dean said removing the cloth from his eyes, but kept his eyes shut. Sam moved to sit down next to Ashley, right as she struggled to sit up. "Whoa there Ash" Sam warned, moving Ashley so she could lean against the couch next to him.

"Gotta keep still" Dean said from his post on the couch. "You lost a lot of blood there" he said running a hand through her hair while the cloth remained over his eyes. She let it fade back to blond, which had made Dean happy; Ashley allowed herself to look like Mary again, this showed Dean she felt better about her place in this family.

"Here all of you, drink this" Bobby said delivering a glass full of orange juice to each Winchester. Ashley quickly drained hers and handed the glass back to Bobby before sliding back down to her nest of pillows, careful of the tube connecting her to Sam. "Okay if I sleep?" she asked no one in particular.

"Yeah Kiddo, rest up" Dean mumbled from the couch.

* * *

With Dean and Ashley recovered enough to hit the road, the Winchesters pack up their things and said goodbye to Bobby.

Sam was driving while his siblings were both squeezed into the back seat. Ashley wasn't out of the woods yet, so Dean shadowed every move she made.

"I swear, I hate kids" Dean grumbled around his sleepy sister, his words dripping with sarcasm.

"Yeah, except for Ben" Sam pointed out

"Hah, yeah alright" Dean agreed. "Where we at?"

"Uh, somewhere around Kansas, or Oklahoma" Sam yawned.

"Alright" Dean said getting comfortable "I'm going to crash. Wake me up if you need anything."

"Sure dude."

Dean tried to fall asleep, but Ashley's face was scrunched and her breathing had become labored. Dean gently shook Ashley awake next to him on the bench seat and looked into her currently blue eyes.

"What was it this time?" Dean whispered.

"The Hell one" she answered.

"Ruby's dead, it's not going to happen" Dean said a little louder.

"What about Ruby?" Sam asked once he heard the name.

Dean looked down at Ashley and gave her a nod, ensuring her Sam should know.

**AN: One more this week until I gotta dive in to studying, and one next week. Tell me what you think!**


	20. Chapter 20: I heard from an Angel

_**I Heard from a Little Angel...**_

Sam didn't want to scare either of his siblings, but he had the same dream Ashley had last night. Could it be that Ruby is back and trying to get at Sam and Dean by dragging Ashley to hell? Sam hoped he was wrong, but only one person would know for sure. It was a long drive from Sioux Falls to Palestine, Texas and Sam was officially tired and sore like he has never been before. AS soon as all their things were brought out of the car, Sam announced he was heading up to bed. Before his bedroom door even clicked shut, Sam was praying to Castiel, saying Ashley was in trouble

"What's wrong?" Castiel announced as soon as he appeared in the largest Winchester's room.

"Is Ruby alive?" Sam struggled to say.

"Why?"

"Because Ash and I are having the same dream. Ruby dragging her through the Gate to Hell."

Cas stood there only staring at Sam for a couple seconds as if he was tagged in a game of Freeze Tag.

"Seriously Ca-" Sam started, but was interrupted by the angle coming back to life.

"Ruby is alive, and walking the Earth amongst humans" Cas informed the shocked man in front of him. "I cannot be certain of her motives and intentions, as no other angels are aware of how she came back to life."

Sam's stomach sank down in despair, he should have made sure Ruby was dead when he first had the feeling she might be back, now his sister was in danger of going to Hell! "Uh, thanks Cas" Sam stammered out "if you hear anything-"

"I will inform you directly" the angel said before he vanished from Sam's room leaving him alone with his thoughts. "I gotta tell Dean" Sam groaned into his hands, but he was too tired to even stand up right now, so Sam promised himself he would share the information with his brother tomorrow.

* * *

Sam woke up before either of his siblings, so he quickly took a shower then tip toed into the shared room. Sam carefully made his way over to where he saw Dean sprawled out on his stomach, taking up most of the bed. "Dean" Sam whispered inches from his brother's face "Dean, get up" Sam whispered again, gaining him an open hazel eye. "Come on, I got news on Ashley's dream." Dean finally roused himself and swung his legs off the bed, almost kicking Sam in the head.

"Sorry man" Dean yawned, suddenly realizing Ashley wasn't in bed anymore, and Sam was whispering. "Where'd Ash go?"

Fear pricked Sam's already nervous heart and he jumped to his feet to see Dean was right- Ashley wasn't there. "Shit" Sam ran out of the shared room to check in the spare room. Thankfully, Ashley's blond hair was spread out on the pillow.

"Dude, the hell?" Dean said catching up to his frantic brother.

"I talked to Cas last night to check the facts on our dream" Sam rushed to spill, not realizing he just said our dream.

"Wait- you had that dream too?"

"Yeah uh, two nights ago. But Dean" Sam said trying to change focus "Ruby is back! She didn't die, or-"

"or someone brought her back" Dean finished Sam's train of thought. "Dammit" he cursed.

"What are we going to do, Dean?" Sam said sitting down on the bottom stair.

"We are going to watch her, then maybe tell her."

"Tell me what?" Ashley asked from the top of the dark staircase. Her arms were crossed across his chest.

"Uh" Dean started, know now he had to break the news to the loaded pistol leaning on the wall in front of him "Ruby is alive and kicking."

"What? How do you know?"

"I talked to Cas last night cuz I had the same dream" Sam admitted.

Ashley was really hoping this was a good old bad dream, but now that Sam had the same dream, it wasn't looking so good for her theory. Ashley was worried about going to hell mostly because of what it would do to her brothers. "Alright, so what are we going to do?"

Sam was first to pipe up with a plan "I'm going to draw her here."

"What? No" Dean barked "you are not going anywhere near that bitch."

Ashely knew Dean had every right to feel that way, but Ashley felt she may hate Ruby more for tearing her last living family member away from her when she needed Sam most. "No Dean" she sighed "Sam is doing it. When he gets Ruby close again is when I slit her throat."

Dean wasn't happy to hear Ashley backing up Sam's plan, but he noticed her fingers were now trailing where her scar is on her thigh. "Alright" Dean said throwing his hands up in surrender "but I don't think I won't be watching you like a hawk" Dean barked at Sam.

"I know" Sam said hanging his head in shame.

* * *

The three Winchesters got a hold of Castiel again to find out where Ruby was. Cas was able to locate her in New York, Dean wasn't happy to hear it was a 22 hour drive, but they came up with a travel plan to ensure they didn't go over that time.

Dean was driving first while Sam rested up for the next shift. Ashley was sitting in the passenger seat with her knees pulled into her chest. She had the window rolled down despite the cool winter weather. "Ash, do you mind?" Dean finally asked gesturing to the window.

"Oh right, sorry Dean." Ashley had been thinking about what would happen if Sam failed and gave into Ruby's seduction again, but was interrupted by Dean clearing his throat and nudging Ashley's left arm.

"You're going to need more than a hoodie and hiking boots in this cold" Dean said handing Ashley a wad of bills. "While Sam goes and finds Ruby, I'll get us a room and you go get something warm."

The look Dean had in his eyes broke Ashley's heart into a million pieces- Dean was terrified. Ashley had a lump in her throat too big for words to get around, so instead she just undid her seatbelt and squeezed herself into Dean's side as much as she possibly could and only then let her own tears fall. "It'll be okay Killer" Dean said kissing the top of her head. Dean prayed silently he didn't just tell his whole life a lie.

* * *

Ashley noticed Dean's blinks starting to last longer and his breath starting to slow down immensely. Dean was dozing and they had gotten all the way to Bristol, VA; Ashley finally got Dean to pull over and woke Sam up to inform him they were switching. Dean grabbed his shoes from under his seat while Sam was doing some pushups to get his blood flowing again. Ashley took over the back seat while Dean got comfy in the passenger seat.

Sam was ready to drive the last 8 hours to New York City. Ashley studied every inch of Sam's face and knew he felt worse about Ashley being put in danger. Ashley closed her eyes and just tried to sleep off this last leg of the trip.

* * *

"Ash" Dean whispered, nudging his sister from his seat back behind the wheel.

"Yeah" she said taking a look around the car, "I'm guessing we are here."

"Yeah, I feel out of place" Dean grumbled.

"Anyway, motel is on Ash Street. Here are some shops, call me when you're done and I'll pick you up if I'm still sober."

"Doubt you will be, but thanks" Ashley called back into the car before she slammed the door shut and headed towards the first store that caught her attention.

**AN: Thank you all for being so understanding with me during finals week! I'll post another sometime around Wednesday, I'm hoping! Hope ya'll enjoyed this last one, as always tell me what you think! **


	21. Chapter 21: Trapped

_**Trapped**_

Dean came and got Ashley a couple hours after he had dropped her off. She was happy and sporting a pair of motorcycle boots. "Whatcha wanna do while we are here?" he asked, heading back towards the hotel.

"Well first" she sighed "I'm going to take a shower and then take a damn nap" she laughed. "But if we are still in a happy mood after this party, we can figure something out."

"Hah, yeah point taken" Dean said, staring straight ahead.

"De, what's really going on?"

Dean knew this was bound to happen, but he hoped he had about a week before he had to tell Ashley what he was feeling. "Nothing Ash" Dean said trying to shove the question under the rug.

"No Dean, it's clearly something" Ashley said swiveling to face her brother.

"Uh, it's Sammy. He- him having the same dream as you did, it's not good Ash."

Dean was right, but she didn't have the energy to console him right now, so she shoved it off to another day.

* * *

Dean wasn't able to sleep while Sam was out with Ruby, so once Ashley fell asleep, he took a shower and headed over to the table to mess around on the laptop. Dean was craving some _Busty Asian Beauties_, but was too worried about Sammy to watch that. "Dammit Sam" Dean grumbled as he drained the last of his whiskey and headed towards the bed Ashley was curled up on. "Hey Tiger, make me some room?" Dean whispered as he sat on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah" she mumbled as she rolled closer to the other bed. "Sammy?"

"Naah, nothing yet" Dean said lying down on his stomach, but deep down he hoped Sam would come busting through that door soon.

* * *

"Well if it isn't Sammy Winchester" a voice said from the table next to him.

Sam turned toward the voice and saw a brunette looking over at him. He had been in New York for an hour max, and already girls were calling him by name. "Who's asking?"

"Aw come on Sammy, Dean wouldn't just drive all this way to New York, unless he was looking for me."

"Ruby!" Sam spat, but then he remembered he needed to get Ruby back in his corner. "I thought we killed you."

"Actually you did. But uh, I got friends in low places" she purred.

Sam knew this was going to be easier that Dean thought; the hard part would be not giving in to this woman's pretty face. "Come on, let's go back to the hotel and makeup" Ruby whispered into her ear.

Sam tried to channel his inner Dean when he smiled and greed to take Ruby home.

"Yeah, meet you at my car" she winked "you'll know it when you see it."

As soon as Ruby was out of earshot, Sam quickly sent Dean the warning that they were on their way over. He was grateful that Dean responded so quickly, and Sam headed towards the parking lot.

* * *

Dean was grateful he put the phone next to him on the pillow, because he had fallen asleep. He got the test from Sam telling him they were on their way. "Ash, get up" Dean said pushing himself up and out of bed.

"Sammy?" she mumbled.

"Yeah. Help me get the Devil's trap set up."

"Yes sir" Ashley yawned as she pulled out the yellow highlighters they bought from the corner store. Dean had already shoved the bed to one side, so Ashley started to draw, while he salted the bathroom he and Ashley would be hiding in until Sam got Ruby on the bed.

"Alright, Dean all set" she hollered as she made the other bed, and put only Sam's belongings on the now made bed. The rest she dragged into the bathroom. "Show time" Dean said, checking the room before crowding into the bathroom with his sister.

* * *

Sam fumbled with the key card, warning his siblings he was coming in. Once he knew the coast was clear, he opened the door, kissing Ruby all the way in. Sam knew he couldn't go straight for the bed, so he picked up the pretty brunette and pinned her against the wall with one arm as he masterly tore the button-down shirt off her torso. Once he had Ruby panting, only then did he throw her down onto the bed and into the Devil's Trap.

"Damn that was almost too easy" Sam struggled to catch his breath. "Uh, glad to see ya'll are done" Dean announced as he stepped out of the bathroom, followed by an angry Ashley.

"You good Sam?" she asked, seeing how pale he was.

"Yeah, just uh- going to step outside" he responded, closing the door behind him.

* * *

Dean and Ashley must have had a hard time getting information out of Ruby, because an hour later, Dean out for air as Ashley started chopping Ruby to pieces, then locking each piece in a separate curse box.

Ashley joined her brothers outside once she had cleaned herself up. She was breathing heavily and sweating like she just got done with a marathon, but she had a smile on her face. "I avoided Hell, boys!" she celebrated, hugging Sam first. "Thanks for doing that Sam, I know it wasn't easy."

"Anything to save my baby sister" he responded and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. Dean stood back and just watched Ashley and Sam interact-he was happy that Sam was still in one piece and able to continue to have Ashley's back… and maybe he was also relieved he wouldn't have to worry about who knows who doing who knows what to his baby sister.

"Not on my watch, Baby Girl."

**AN: As promised, here's a chapter midway through the week! I'll be free as of Saturday, so expect one around then sometime! Hope you all enjoyed, tell me what you think!  
P.S.- can someone say 3rd installment? Should I or should I not?**


	22. Chapter 22: Dumped

_**Dumped**_

**AN: Here is another chapter, almost done with school and we'll go back to normal updates! New story coming up pretty soon too! Keep an eye open for the title :) Enjoy and let me know what you think!**

Ashley was awake in the dark while her brothers filled the silence with their snores and deep breaths. She had slept for an hour, but then a dream woke her up and kept her awake. Dean was obviously exhausted because he had slept through her thrashing.

Ashley's mind was still replaying what Ruby had said-she wasn't here to throw Ashley into the pit, but that doesn't explain how Cas knew she would be in that bar at that time. But like a movie, her brain hit fast-forward and played the part where Ashley started to hack apart the possessed brunette's body; Ashley didn't even hesitate before she swung the machete to slice off her head. "Dammit, I'm a disaster" Ashley muttered to herself as she pulled her new boots and jacket on.

She tried to keep herself together until she got a room key and closed the front door. Ashley felt so alone in this world, even with her brother's sleeping three feet away from where she stood. "Maybe it would have been better to just go to Hell" Ashley whispered to herself.

"You don't mean that" a gravelly voice said behind her.

"Cas!" she exclaimed from shock "What are you doing here?"

"I came to pick up the demon's limbs. I went inside first, but Dean was resting."

"So what? Just wait for us to wake up?" Ashley questioned trying to better understand the angel's thought process.

"Yes. But you were awake, so I came out to you."

Ashley could tell by the way the angel tilted his head he was trying to show compassion.

"Thanks Cas, let's go get those boxes" Ashley chuckled.

"No, not yet" Cas grabbed Ashley's cold hand "the sun is coming up soon, it's going to be a great sunrise."

Ashley was surprised to see Castiel, the clueless angel showing patience and marvel for some human emotion. With a smile, Ashley sat down on the Chevy's frozen hood and was joined by the trench coated angel.

Cas was right, it was a great sunrise. Ashley has seen only a handful of sunrises in her lifetime, but this one made her smile and think of all the good memories.

"The boys are stirring, we should go wait for them" Cas interrupted.

"Sure thing bud, let's go" Ashley chuckled as she jumped down from the car hood. She had barely stepped foot in the door before Dead jumped on her and pressed a knife to her neck. "Whoa, De!" she said throwing up her arms. "It's just me and Cas."

"Where'd you go?" Dean barked, lowering the knife, but not stepping away from her.

"I-I couldn't sleep, so I stepped outside!" Ashley yelled upset that she had to explain herself. "De, the hell!"

Sam was starting to step towards his pissed brother, but was suddenly thrown to the wall, snapping Dean and Ashley from their intense stare off.

"Cas?" Ashley called out to get the angel to help, but he was gone.

"Sammy" Dean barked as he ran to where his little brother was pinned to a wall.

"Ruby" Sam chocked out, trying to warn his siblings about the problem.

"Ash, check the boxes" Dean ordered as he made a run towards the knife he stashed under his pillow.

"One's open" she reported back "and the possession lock thingy is burned off this…arm" she cringed.

"Dammit, get it back on!" Dean said tossing the demon blade over to Ashley. AS soon as Ashley carved the mark back into the arm, Sam was released from the wall.

"We need to get those things out" Sam panted.

"I'll take them" Cas said grabbing an armful and disappearing.

"We need to go, back to Texas" Ashley said plopping down on the bed, finally feeling the adrenaline leave her body.

* * *

Dean and Sam both agreed, so they quickly piled into the car. Dean took the first driving shift and Ashley had agreed to take the next. Ashley was sitting in front playing with her bottom lip and completely lost in thought. Sam and Dean were talking about guy stuff around her, when Dean asked Ashley a question.

"Ash?" Sam said a little louder.

"What?" she said softly, still deep in thought.

"What's going on in there?" Dean said sneaking a quick glance at the girl next to him.

"How could Ruby throw Sam against a wall just cuz someone sabotaged a cursed item?" she said, still staring at nothing.

"What does it matter?" Sam said leaning back in the seat.

"Don't you care? Vampires attacking in the daylight, demons coming back to life. It's like the weird is having their own swine flu."

"Screw it Ash, I'm done trying to figure what's out with the freaks" Dean admitted, putting a foot on the door "I'm good to just fix what is thrown at me."

Ashley agreed with Dean, but deep down she wanted to be the one to figure out what the hell was going on with the world. "I'm just tired of feeling useless" she mumbled. Ashley knew both her brothers heard what she said, but neither wanted to tell her she was wrong.

* * *

After Dean got to Alabama, he was too sore and cramped to move his ass from the seat. Ashley was out walking around, waiting for Dean to pry himself away from the driver's seat.

"Come on Old Man, get moving" Sam chuckled at Dean trying to swing his right leg out of the car. Sam eventually took pity and helped his brother into a standing position.

"What's the matter, Dean? 35 starting to catch up to you?" Sam laughed, once Ashley started driving.

Damn, was Dean really 35 already! Ashley could have sworn Dean had just turned 21 yesterday and only she was ageing past that in this family. "You're 35, Sam and I are 31 and 30, how long are we going to keep hunting?" Ashley asked, only speaking what was on her mind.

"As long as we can" Dean said after thinking the question over.

"I do wanna have kids, you know" Ashley spat, but all Dean did was acknowledge what was said with a nod.


	23. Chapter 23: She wants a kid

_**She wants a kid**_

The Winchesters made it back to Texas in record time, but no one was tired. Ashley had suggested they find a movie to watch, so her and Sam jumped back in the car to a Redbox. Ashley was still up for driving, so Sam just lounged in the too tight passenger seat.

"You know, we all want kids and a family too" Sam dared.

"Yeah, but you don't have a clock ticking down inside ya" Ashley croaked out, trying to hold back a sob.

"You're right, but I was thinking what if we adopt?"

Ashley was shocked by Sam's suggestion, but she couldn't wrap her head around it and how it would possibly work-who would it call Daddy? How would it be taken care of when they were always on the road?

"Look" Sam said, trying to stem her concerns "Dean was the one who brought it up while you were-well, you know."

"And what do you think?" Ashley said as she pulled up in front of the Redbox.

"I think it's a good idea" Sam shrugged. Maybe the boys were right, she could stay home and play homemaker, nurse, and researcher.

"I say let's go for it" she muttered out as Sam searched for a title.

"Wait, really?" Sam smiled.

"Yeah, Papa Sam" she teased as she walked away from the shocked giant.

"I'll get the drinks, what do you want?"

"Ah, just a six-pack. Thanks, Little One" he smiled at how she now walked with a new found bounce in her step.

* * *

"Wait, so she's really up for it?" Dean asked from his seat

"Yeah" Sam replied with a low voice. "Why are you so surprised? She wanted a kid for a while now." Ashley was fast asleep with her head on Sammy's lap. A few shots of Fireball and a warm blanket instantly knocked her out a couple minutes into the movie.

"Alright Sammy, start making us look normal for an adoption, we'll have Ash do the rest" Dean said flicking off the credits. Dean looked at his sleeping sister then up at Sammy. "Naah, leave her here" Sam said sneaking out from under her. Sam grabbed his laptop and headed upstairs to start the applications they would need to adopt.

Sam knew it would be a good way to force his family to semi-retire, but would it be god for the kid? Sam was interrupted by a knock on his door. "Yeah" he answered. Ashley stepped forward into the dark room to see a light only coming from the computer screen. "Mind if I?" she motioned towards the extra space on the bed.

"Hey Sleepyhead, sure."

"Whatcha doing?"

"Uh, starting adoption apps actually" he scoffed. "A single mom, living with her brothers may send up a few red flags, so you and I are 'married'."

"Why you and I?" she said confused as to how he came up with the pairing.

"You look like Dean kinda" Sam shrugged "so he's my brother and living with us."

Ashley was excited to finally be given the chance to be a Mom. Even if it wasn't her biological kid, she would love it and raise it like her own. "I'll see you later, Sammy" she said kissing his cheek and heading down to the shared room.

Dean was still up, taking a shower, so she undressed and slipped into her boy shorts and tank top. Ashley sat down on the bed waiting for her brother to finish up before talking with him about the, soon to be, new addition. Ashley scooted back to lean against the headboard while she went through what would need to be done before they brought the kid home. Dean had finally stepped out of the bathroom by the time Ashley had followed a 20th parenting board on Pinterest.

"Well, based on the smile on your-"

"Thank you so much De" Ashley interrupted her brother by jumping off the bed and into a hug.

"Whoa Killer" Dean laughed, barely catching himself and his sister.

"We gotta clean up the spare room and I gotta baby-proof the house, and get a car" she rambled, making Dean's head spin.

"Heh, how about you think about this in the morning. We've been up for days now" Dean pointed out.

"Fine, point taken" she settled back on the bed "but tomorrow you and Sam's got work to do!"

"Yes ma'am" Dean said as he switched off the light.

* * *

Ashley woke up to find the bed deserted and the door cracked open- just barely open. She was comfortable and curled up in the middle of the bed, which was are rare as a Jefferson Starship. Ashley could smell coffee wafting into the room as well as cooking food, and her stomach was grumbling under the sheets. Ashley dragged herself out of the warm bed and started down the stairs, following her nose.

"Morning Ash" Sam said, still glued to the laptop.

"Hey guys" she dared, peaking into the kitchen to see Dean cooking.

"Yeah, you are seeing that right" Sam said not even looking up.

"My God, Dean are-are you…sick?" she chuckled at the sight of him cooking eggs and bacon.

"No, can't I cook if I feel like it?" he said defensively.

"But of course" Ashley said popping up on the counter next to where Dean was cooking. She hated to admit it, but the few times she did eat his food, it was actually really good!

"So Dean, after breakfast, mind if I borrow Baby to go grab some things?"

"Yeah sure" Dean replied, dropping a plate down in front of Sam, "but eat, now!" he ordered playfully.


	24. Chapter 24: Grandpa Singer

_**Grandpa Singer**_

Bobby came down to drop her off the blue mustang she and Dean had started to work and visit for a little bit, being as he hadn't seen the place yet. "You idjits really gonna adopt?" Bobby asked, still unsure that he heard them right.

"Yeah, got the spare room cleaned out" Ashley said, as if that made this whole thing official. "Grandpa Bobby's got a nice ring to it, don't ya think?" she grinned from her seat at the kitchen table.

"How are you fools going to support yourselves and a kid? What about school and hunting?" Bobby barked at the boys, knowing Sam should have been the one to think about that part of the plan.

"I'm going to home school it, with Ashley's help when I'm on a hunt." Sam explained "and the house came with baby stuff and a bunch of money that we haven't even tapped into."

"I tell ya Bobby, this family really liked us" Dean chuckled from where he was learning against the kitchen counter.

Bobby was surprised they had thought of the more important things, so he surrendered and simply congratulated the Winchesters on the new addition. "Well I tracked down a case here in Texas, ya'll want it?" Bobby asked after he took another swig of his beer.

"Uh, I'll look at it" Sam said getting up to follow Bobby to the truck he drove here.

"It's just a ghost ganking poor sons of bitches while they are taking a shower" Bobby shrugged as he handed the manila envelope over to the smart giant.

"Psycho killings- man Dean is gonna love this" Sam chuckled, as he thumbed through the file "Yeah, we'll take it, thanks Bobby."

Bobby nodded as he piled back in his truck and handed Sam his half-drunk beer "just make sure you bring the kid by" he instructed Sam.

"'Course Bobby" Sam answered back as the seasoned man pulled out of the driveway.

* * *

Sam was right, as soon as he said killed in the shower Dean lit up like a kid on Christmas morning. Ashley was happy to go because she was itching to go on a hunt since they got back from New York. This was going to be the hardest change on Ashley- she would get stir crazy, but maybe she could switch out with her brothers on the easy cases around home every once in a while.

Dean finally pulled into a motel in Madesa and started cleaning the shot guns, while Ashley pulled out the newly packaged rock salt rounds she worked on before they left. Sam figured out the ghost they were hunting once was a Scott Keith, who worked for the water company and drowned in the city's water supply, when his mistress came and pushed him because he wouldn't leave his wife.

"So what, now he's drowning skanky women while they shower?" Dean asked, confirming the story in his head. Sam only nodded in response, enjoying Dean's facial expression.

"Well, this will be one hell of a case, how are we going to get to it?" Ashley mumbled.

"We'll I have a theory he gets into the showers through the pipes, so I follow him, figure out what house he's going to. Ash protects the chick while Dean salt and burns him" Sam informed the other hunters of his plan.

"Sure" Ashley and Dean chorused.

* * *

Dean got tossed against a headstone and had his knife go into his side by the ghost of Scott, it was lucky that Sam came out of the sewer to toss in the matches for his brother. Ashley met the boys back at the motel with a bottle of cheap vodka to clean Dean's wound.

"It's a stab wound, we can't stitch it De" Ashley apologized, as she poured even more alcohol onto his side.

"Yeah I know," he groaned at the burn the alcohol left "just cover it up good" he barked.

"Dean, I know" Ashley said stiffly "I'm not incompetent!"

"Right, sorry" Dean sighed at the relief the butterfly bandages offered his side.

Ashley quickly finished bandaging Dean's side and asked Sam to check his head for a concussion so she could take a shower. Dean was always pissy when he got hurt on a hunt by his own weapon, so she went to cool off before she kicked him in his side. Ashley was clearly upset because she had steamed up the bathroom and Sam even came in to check and make sure she was alright.

"Yeah, sorry Sammy. Almost done" she apologized for giving him the cause when she caused it. When she finally came out of the now sauna, Dean was already asleep and Sam was watching something on TV just to pass the time. Ashley walked over to the outside edge of Sam's bed and curled up under the stiff motel sheets next to her larger brother. "Sorry I scared you to the point where you felt you need to check up on me."

Sam was confused as to why Ashley had climbed into his bed, but he guessed it was because of the comment Dean made. "No, I pushed you towards the blade and barely got there to save you in time" Sam apologized.

Ashley smiled up at her brother, then rolled over to her other side, where she gave into sleep. Couple hours later, Dean woke Ashley up to remind her that his bandage needed to be changed. Dean was right, the gauze was red and yellow from the drainage seeping out. Ashley moaned at the required energy and told Dean to bring everything to her. Once Dean was bandaged up again, Ashley laid back down and closed her eyes, but Dean was still sitting on the edge of her side of the bed.

"What?" she groaned as she opened up one eye.

"Why you over here?" Dean murmured feeling hurt.

"You took up the bed, Sam was still up. I just didn't feel like sleeping on the floor" she shrugged. "Can I please go back to bed now?"

"Yeah, night Ash" Dean said as he stood up to go back to his own bed.

* * *

Dean was still awake when the early morning sun started to flood the room. Both of his siblings were sleeping like babies. Baby-where were they with this whole adoption process? He slowly made his way over to Sam's laptop and opened it up and checked the email account.

_*One New Message* _

Dean opened up the message and saw it was the adoption agency closest to their home- they were approved and now able to walk in for an interview Dean wasn't sure how he really felt about having a kid running around the house.

Dammit, he wanted to be a father, and in a way he would be- but so would Sam and the "mom" would be Ashley. It was weird, but it was the only way to get Ashley out of the life.

Sam finally woke up and saw Dean sitting in front of the laptop. "Dean?" Sam asked sitting up.

"Hey Sammy, you hungry?"

"Uh, sure. We gonna stop somewhere before we go back home?"

"Yeah, gotta eat right?" Dean said closing the laptop "Wake her up, we leave in an hour."

THE END  
_Stay tuned for Parental Winchesters_

**_AN: Dang! another story done! Whoa, who would have thought I would have gotten this far?! Thank you to everyone who reviewed, read favorited, and followed this story! It means a lot to me! Stay tuned for the next installment in a couple days! I just got my wisdom teeth out so I'll need a little recover time! Tell me what you all thought! :)_**


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